"There was a lot of beef there" - Jonathan Haggerty on back-and-forth with Fabricio Andrade leading up to two-sport glory

Jonathan Haggerty achieved a memorable milestone on the biggest stage of combat sports when he completed his two-sport dream in November last year.

Squaring off against ONE bantamweight MMA king Fabricio Andrade, the division's vacant kickboxing crown was on the line for both world champions at ONE Fight Night 16.

As entertaining as the fight was – until Jonathan Haggety's insane finish earned him back-to-back highlight reel victories inside the ring – the lead-up to their main event showdown shared similar fire and excitement.

Andrade and 'The General' traded barbs at one another months before the contest, dissing each other's skillset and going to town about their chances on fight night.

Even during the ceremonial faceoffs and the official weigh-in day, both superstars got entangled in another heated verbal exchange.

In a recent clip uploaded to his YouTube channel, the Londoner looked back at the pre-fight antics between him and Andrade, confirming that their arguments weren't just about hyping up the fight or a matter of fabrication.

Jonathan Haggerty said:

"This was a fun one. So yeah, this fight, Andrade, we had a little, I wouldn't say a little bit, we had a lot of animosity. There was a lot of beef there. He brought the trash talk out in me. He talked a good game. He talked a really good game."

Watch the full clip here:

---

Jonathan Haggerty set for another massive world title tilt at ONE 168: Denver

Since beating Fabricio Andrade to sit atop the bantamweight Muay Thai and kickboxing division, Jonathan Haggerty registered his third consecutive knockout against Felipe Lobo at ONE Fight Night 19 in April.

He will defend his "Art of Eight Limbs" crown once more this year in a rematch against ONE flyweight kickboxing world champion Superlek Kiatmoo9.

Their five-round world title fixture will be part of the promotion's hotly anticipated return to North America, ONE 168: Denver, which takes place inside the Ball Arena on September 6.

Get your tickets to the show here.