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At ONE 171 in Qatar last February, reigning ONE bantamweight kickboxing world champion Jonathan Haggerty defended his kickboxing title for the first time, fending off challenger Wei Rui in an absolute masterclass that put him back in the win column.
It was five rounds of full action and a technical showing from both fighters, but 'The General' proved to be on a higher level. From the opening bell, the kickboxing champ kept his opponent guessing, mixing up feints, level changes, and counters to keep the challenger at a distance.
Every time Rui tried to close it, 'The General' met him with quick counters, most notably, a well-timed right straight that clipped the side of Rui's head after a calf kick exchange, soon followed by a teep-parry-head kick sequence that caught the challenger clean.
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Watch the fight highlights below:
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Jonathan Haggerty kept the pace for the duration of the bout and ultimately walked off with a unanimous decision win at the end of the night. It was a comeback that silenced critics following his devastating first-round knockout loss to Supelek that cost him his Muay Thai belt and double-champ status.
Jonathan Haggerty won’t say no to a champ vs. champ showdown with Nabil Anane
Jonathan Haggerty isn't the type to shy away from a challenge - even if said challenge is a 6'4" tower of a man who may seem lanky but hits like a sledgehammer.
With the kickboxing belt firmly in his possession, he's looking around for potential next opponents and has set his sights on the interim ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world champion Nabil Anane.
"Obviously, he’s a great, skilled fighter. Very tall, and he’s got the power to go with it. Maybe someone with a bit of movement [could beat him]. Yeah, it’ll be a fight I’d love to have and big respect to him. He’s a lovely champion, a lovely fighter."
Nabil Anane is coming off a bittersweet knockout win against former Muay Thai champ Superlek, who lost his world title upon failing the hydration test before what was supposedly the unification bout for the Muay Thai belts.
The ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world title sits unoccupied as of writing.
