Jonathan Haggerty and Superlek Kiatmoo9 will finally have their rematch when ONE Championship returns to the U.S. on Friday, Sept. 6, at ONE 168: Denver.
The two originally met in 2018 outside of ONE Championship, and since that date, both men have taken control of their careers and become pound-for-pound greats.
At ONE 168, Haggerty defends the ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai Championship, and his little brother and fellow ONE athlete, Freddie, is looking forward to the high-stakes main event.
“It’s massive. Jon knows how big it is. Everyone regards Superlek as the pound-for-pound greatest, so to beat Superlek and get revenge from the first fight would be huge,” Haggerty stated to ONE.
“Personally, I think the first fight was stopped in the most pathetic way. It was the tiniest cut on Jon. You could’ve put a plaster over it, it was so little. But for him to work back to this point, to grow so much, and to have the chance to even the scores, it couldn’t be bigger.”
“If he beats Superlek, he’s the pound-for-pound best.”
The teenage star believes this is an entirely new matchup from the first meeting, as “The General” has moved up to bantamweight and shown incredible knockout power.
The level of competition and firefights Haggerty has been in, including his devastating finish of former longtime bantamweight Muay Thai king Nong-O Hama, will give him an edge, according to his brother.
“He was a kid in the first fight. But he’s a man now. He’s bigger, stronger, faster, and smarter than the version of him in 2018,” the rising ONE star said.
“He’s been in the deep waters with these Thai guys. Even against Felipe Lobo, he’s been in the deep waters, and he knows he’s got that dog in him. He knows he can dig deep, and if he has to have a dogfight, he knows he can do that.”
“He just knows so many little details about himself compared to last time that will go a long way in helping him win.”
The younger Haggerty is astonished at his brother’s training camp for the title tilt, and he has never seen him more focused.
If true, fans should be in for an epic night in Denver.
“This is the best [Jonathan has] ever looked. This is the most dedicated he has been. He’s never put as much work into a fight the way he is for this one. The way he’s eating too, everything. He’s just got his head down,” Haggerty detailed.
“When I got over here for my fight in July, he had already been grafting for weeks. It’s so important, and it’s even bigger with his belt on the line. He obviously doesn’t want to lose that. He’s doing everything possible to keep hold of it.”
When assessing Superlek’s game, the Orpington native credits him for what he does well, but he believes “The General” will evade him and counter with a more diverse attack to retain his title at ONE 168.
“Superlek has one style, but he’s great at it. His right side is so dangerous. The right kick and elbow are so lethal. I don’t believe his punches are the greatest, so I think the main worry for Jon is to keep away from the elbows and the kicks,” Haggerty remarked.
“I don’t think Jon will be too worried, though. He’s working on a great game plan to stop these kicks and elbows and have counters for everything. I think he’s going to absolutely smash it.”
Unsurprisingly, Haggerty is sitting squarely in his brother’s corner when it comes to calling who’ll take the win at ONE 168.
He knows the task will be tough. But the longer the bout goes, the more likely it is a finish will come.
“I believe Jon will stop Superlek. I know it. I reckon Jon will stop him in the fourth round,” Haggerty said.
“He’ll drag him into some deep waters. Nobody has ever stuck it on Superlek much. The only person I’ve ever seen take it to him was Takeru in that round at ONE 165. Takeru had him hurt. Somehow he stayed standing. I don’t know how, but he did. He took a lot of shots and showed heart.
“But if Takeru can hurt him in boxing gloves, I think Jon can really mess him up in 4-ounce gloves.”
ONE 168: Denver airs live on Prime Video on Friday, Sept. 6, at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. Tickets are available via Ticketmaster.