‘The Pressure Is Off A Little’ – Freddie Haggerty Carrying New Level Of Confidence Into Second Appearance At ONE Friday Fights 72
Young striking prodigy Freddie Haggerty is less than one day away from his highly anticipated sophomore appearance in the world’s largest martial arts organization.
This Friday in Asia primetime at ONE Friday Fights 72, the 19-year-old will square off with Thai scrapper Kaichon Sor Yingcharoenkarnchang in a strawweight Muay Thai tilt that will serve as a serious test.
That contest will go down at the legendary Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand – the same venue where Haggerty made his spectacular promotional debut in January at ONE Friday Fights 49.
As the younger brother to reigning two-sport titleholder Jonathan “The General” Haggerty, the hard-hitting Brit admits that his debut on the global stage came with no shortage of nerves and high expectations.
He lived up to that hype in a big way, knocking out Thai standout Dankalong Sor Dechapan in highlight-reel fashion.
And with that debut victory behind him, Haggerty told onefc.com that his mindset has changed for the better ahead of ONE Friday Fights 72:
“I have so much more confidence in me now. I’ve been saying it all along – I’ve enjoyed the lead-up to this fight way more than last time. I feel like there isn’t as much pressure as last time in my debut. There’s always pressure to win, but it’s different.
“It’s dialed back a bit, but I do have a reputation to live up to. But, where I debuted and how I won, I’ve shown I’m here and capable of knocking people out, even at a young age on the big stage. The pressure is off a little, but the confidence is way more.”
Despite his incredible performance last time out, Haggerty doesn’t think he was at his very best.
Given the added media responsibilities and the expectations that he would follow in his World Champion brother’s footsteps, he says he was anxious going into that fight.
Things are much different this time around. Most importantly, the rising star says he’s found a sense of mental clarity that he will carry into the matchup with Kaichon:
“My calmness is my biggest difference. I’m stoic now. Last time, with the pressure, I wasn’t sleeping great and was getting used to dealing with the media and doing interviews.
“But now, I’m sleeping well and much calmer. I’m not worried. It’s all very different.
Freddie Haggerty: ‘My Skills Have Developed Tenfold’
Beyond the improvements to his mindset, Freddie Haggerty believes he has evolved by leaps and bounds as a fighter since his debut in ONE.
He’s spent the month in Thailand, living and breathing Muay Thai day in and day out – a sharp departure from his time in England, where he juggled his work as an electrician with his fighting career.
The teenager explained:
“It’s different here compared to at home. At home, I’d work all day as an apprentice electrician, then I’d do a huge session that night to make the most of it. Now in Thailand, I’ve been here four weeks.
“I’m not working, so I can fully concentrate on [fighting] and split them sessions up to train and give more energy to those sessions.”
What’s more, Haggerty says he’s taken the time to heal up some minor injuries.
With his new and improved mindset, better physical conditioning, and Muay Thai skills sharpened in the birthplace of the art, he says fans can look forward to an even better version of himself this Friday:
“My skills have developed tenfold. Last time, I had a small injury affecting my footwork, as I’d twisted my ankle a couple of weeks before. So I was working around that.
“But I’m fitter than last time. I’m stronger than last time. My fight IQ is completely different now. I can see the shots I’m going to throw. I can see how he’s going to react, and I have so much more knowledge about the game.”
