WATCH: The utter chaos in first meeting between future legends Rodtang Jitmuangnon and Jonathan Haggerty

ONE Championship fans knew what to expect when then-reigning ONE flyweight Muay Thai world champion Jonathan Haggerty sought to defend the crown against Thai superstar Rodtang Jitmuangnon in August 2019.

'The Iron Man' and Haggerty lived up to the lofty expectations that fans held them to as they engaged in a thrilling five-round war, with thundering strikes echoing throughout the Mall of Asia Arena in Manila, Philippines.

Though 'The General' put up a strong showing, Rodtang's relentless pressure was too much to overcome, and they ultimately captured the 135-pound Muay Thai world championship via unanimous decision.

Beaten but certainly not broken, Haggerty rematched Rodtang for the throne in January 2020. It was then apparent that the Jitmuangnon Gym athlete had ascended to new levels as he ended the British standout's night via TKO in round three.

The 27-year-old eventually moved up to the 145-pound striking ranks and won the ONE bantamweight Muay Thai and kickboxing world championships in April and November 2023, respectively.

However, Haggerty's reign over the 145-pound Muay Thai division came to a screeching halt last September at the hands of ONE flyweight kickboxing world champion Superlek Kiatmoo9 at ONE 168: Denver.

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Jonathan Haggerty confident he will easily defend kickboxing gold at ONE 171

Jonathan Haggerty confidently claimed he would face no difficulty defending the ONE bantamweight kickboxing world championship against Chinese great Wei Rui in the main event of ONE 171: Qatar on Thursday, Feb. 20.

In an interview with ONE, Haggerty stated:

"He beat [former world champion] Hiroki Akimoto, who is great opposition in his own right. So, we are not taking him lightly. But we do think we can do a demolition job on him for sure."

ONE 171 will be held at the Lusail Sports Arena in Lusail, Qatar. Tickets are available via Q-Tickets.