“There's mutual respect” - Jonathan Haggerty shares cordial meeting with ONE 168 opponent Superlek 

ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world champion Jonathan Haggerty recently had a brief encounter with scheduled next opponent Superlek Kiatmoo9. He said it was cordial and marked by mutual respect.

The two were both present at ONE 167: Tawanchai vs. Nattawut on June 7 in Bangkok, Thailand. It came some three months before their all-champion title clash at ONE 168 in Denver, Colorado, U.S.A. on Sept. 6.

At ONE 168, Jonathan Haggerty will stake his world title against Superlek, who is the reigning ONE flyweight kickboxing king.

In an interview with Sportskeeda MMA, 'The General' spoke about what went down in his encounter with 'The Kicking Machine,' saying:

"Yeah, I've seen Superlek. I saw them all. But there wasn't much back-and-forth between me and Superlek. It was just like 'How are you.' Basically, there's mutual respect between me and Superlek. It was just good to be around it, you know, back in the ONE Championship atmosphere, and what a show it was."

Watch the interview below:

ONE 168 will mark the second time that Jonathan Haggerty will be defending the ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world title after his successful defense in February against Brazilian challenger Felipe Lobo.

ONE Championship's Denver show will be available to North American fans with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription. Tickets for the event are now available on Ticketmaster.

Meanwhile, before he challenges Haggerty, Superlek will first see action on June 28 at ONE Friday Fights 68 at the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok against fellow Thai fighter Kongthoranee Sor Sommai in a flyweight Muay Thai battle.

Check out your local listings for ONE Friday Fights 68's availability on your area.

Jonathan Haggerty seeks to avenge previous loss to Superlek at ONE 168

The scheduled title clash between Jonathan Haggerty and Superlek Kiatmoo9 at ONE 168: Denver in September will be the second time that they will be facing each other. And the U.K. fighter is using it to exact payback after losing the first time around.

Their first encounter took place in 2018 in an event outside of ONE Championship. In said match, Haggerty was forced to absorb a second-round TKO defeat (doctor's stoppage) at the hands of Superlek after sustaining a cut that bled profusely.

In an interview with Sky Sports, 'The General' shared his mindset heading into his rematch with Superlek, saying:

"Now's the time for revenge. I'm glad it's come, we're both at our peak, and we're both in the best organization in the world."

Heading into ONE 168, which is ONE Championship's second live on-ground event in the United States, Haggerty has won six straight, the last three all with world title implications.