‘I Knew I’d Get Him Back’ – Jonathan Haggerty Reflects On Epic Comeback Win Over Felipe Lobo
Jonathan “The General” Haggerty and Felipe “Demolition Man” Lobo raised the roof in their main event tilt at ONE Fight Night 19 on Prime Video this past Friday, February 16.
After looking in trouble in the first round, Haggerty retained his ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Title in a slugfest with his Brazilian challenger at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
The English superstar ultimately roared back to score a third-round TKO and a US$50,000 performance bonus.
But while he was glad to get the win and remain a two-sport king, Haggerty admits it wasn’t the perfect outing.
He told onefc.com afterward:
“If I’m totally honest, I’m not really happy with that performance, but the main thing is we got it done. I’m used to just being in and out, bouncing around, hitting and not getting hit, but a lot of people said to me, ‘It can’t always be your way.’ And I just showed tonight that I’ve got heart.”
“I wouldn’t say it’s enjoyable fighting like that. But I love it. I do love it. I can’t say I’m happy to do it again any time soon, but it is what it is, and I’m happy to get a performance bonus and keep the belt.”
It looked like an upset was in the cards at the end of the opening frame when Lobo fired into Haggerty with a relentless barrage of punches against the ropes to force a count on the reigning king.
However, “The General” took his time, regained his senses, and came back to life in the second stanza.
And while he never wants to be on the receiving end, Haggerty was proud to show his resilience against the #3-ranked contender:
“There was no doubt he caught me with a big shot. I wasn’t really hurt that bad. I just thought I’d take a little rest and take a seat. I knew I’d get him back. There isn’t any quit in me. There never is, and I showed that tonight.”
Haggerty Squashes Beef With Lobo: ‘There’s Respect There’
There seemed to be some bad blood in the leadup to this ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Title clash, but after an epic three-round battle, Jonathan Haggerty was happy to change his tune.
“The General” already knew Felipe Lobo would be a tough test, and the Brazilian showed that he’s one of the most dangerous strikers on the planet.
Following their toe-to-toe battle, Haggerty was full of praise for Lobo:
“After the fight, I told him that it’s just business. You’ve got to do what you got to do before the fight to build it up and psyche yourself up.
“At the end of the day, we’re both warriors. I respect anyone who gets in there with me, especially if they put on a performance like he did and stand in the middle of the ring and have a shootout.
“There’s respect there, and I wish him all the best.”
Haggerty has now successfully defended his Muay Thai belt for the first time and knows that he will remain perhaps the most targeted name in ONE Championship.
The reigning ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai and Kickboxing World Champion said post-fight that he wants to become a three-sport king by challenging ONE Bantamweight MMA World Champion Fabricio “Wonder Boy” Andrade.
Fans are also itching to see him defend his belt against #1-ranked bantamweight Muay Thai contender Nico “King of the North” Carrillo
However, “The General” is not in a rush to call his next move and will let the debates rage while he recuperates from a hard-fought outing and his seventh straight victory:
“I’m happy to fight anyone, but at this moment in time, it’s back to the drawing board. Forget everyone, I’m the champ-champ. They can all wait in line and discuss it amongst themselves. I’m going to have a little bit of a rest, recoup, and elevate.”
