Many doubted him, but Jonathan “The General” Haggerty delivered the performance of a lifetime to defeat long-reigning divisional king Nong-O Hama and claim the ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Title at ONE Fight Night 9 in April.
The English star didn’t just defeat Nong-O, however. He smashed the Thai legend’s perfect 10-0 promotional slate to pieces inside a single round at the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
As well as winning gold in a second division, the scale of the victory and the decisiveness of the finish make Haggerty’s epic stoppage the best Muay Thai knockout of 2023.
When the opening bell rang, Haggerty and Nong-O didn’t waste a second. The two got straight down to business, taking aim with hard punches and low kicks in place of any feeling-out process.
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It seemed clear from the early exchanges that the Londoner’s punches were crisper, but he still had to be wary of the defending World Champion’s immense power.
Nong-O lunged forward with heavy shots, but “The General” was growing more and more confident in his own output.
The beginning of the end came when Haggerty landed a jab, followed by a right hook to the body. He went with the jab again, but when Nong-O tried to counter the next shot, the British star switched tactics, fired a right cross to the head, and dropped his rival to the canvas.
Nong-O was still dazed when he got back to his feet, but the challenger did not let him off the hook.
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Another right hand put the Thai legend down once more, and when he returned to his feet, Haggerty sealed the deal with a furious salvo of punches that shut off the longtime World Champion’s lights.
The Englishman won the ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Title via knockout at 2:40 of the first round. Also, ONE Championship Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong gave him a US$100,000 performance bonus for his emphatic victory.
Haggerty topped off his magical 2023 in November, as he knocked out ONE Bantamweight MMA World Champion Fabricio “Wonder Boy” Andrade for the division’s vacant kickboxing belt. With that win, “The General” became the promotion’s latest two-sport king.
