"This is going to get hard" - Jonathan Haggerty believes he has a tougher mountain to climb after victorious outing in Qatar

After a successful defense of his ONE bantamweight kickboxing crown against the challenge of Chinese superstar 'Demon Blade' Wei Rui last Thursday evening at ONE 171: Qatar, Jonathan Haggerty is expecting a harder path in his career.

Haggerty scored a unanimous decision win in front of the Lusail Sports Arena, and he made an outstanding return to the win column.

In his post-fight interview, the British striking maestro mentioned that he will have a bigger target on his back following another brilliant performance, as he stated:

"I'll definitely remind myself that this is going to get hard. Definitely, remind myself, but it's all I know really. I've been training since a young kid, and I fought the best in the world. I've taken all the fights that have been given to me, jump ladders, fighting the best in the world, and just staying dedicated."

Watch the full ONE 171: Qatar post-fight interview here:

With this latest triumph, 'The General' improved his record to 9-3 win-loss card under the world's largest martial arts organization.

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Jonathan Haggerty praises Wei Rui for giving him a good match at ONE 171: Qatar

During the same post-fight interview, the Knowlesy Academy and Team Underground-affiliated athlete gave the former K-1 champion his well-deserved flowers by saying that he was a tough opponent.

The 28-year-old superstar stated that fans and pundits should not discredit the 33-year-old veteran; instead, they should give him his duly needed respect, as Jonathan Haggerty explained:

"I mean, the man behind it all, Christian Knowles. We were studying Wei Rui. I think the hard thing about it, was everybody was thinking I was going to go in there and destroy him and he shouldn't really be in there with me. But he was a great opponent."

Fans can rewatch all the action at ONE 171: Qatar via watch.onef.com.