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James Goyder

Jonathan Haggerty said it took him a while to get over the devastating 49-second defeat to Superlek Kiatmoo9 at ONE 168.
It was a highly anticipated encounter which the Englishman trained hard for in preparation, so it was particularly disappointing for it to be over so quickly.
“Everything was perfect, we had no excuses,” Haggerty told Sky Sports. “I was gutted for the first three days, I kept going over scenarios in my head but it is what it is.”
Haggerty said he took the fight to Superlek right from the first bell in Denver and that, in hindsight, it may not have been the best strategy.
“I felt great in the back room,” Haggerty said. “I think I warmed up a little bit too long, I should have relaxed but I was eager to go.

“(I) stepped in the cage, felt great, being on the big stage is what I love to do. It was amazing I felt at home but the bell went and I was just a little bit too eager.”
Despite the failed strategy, Haggerty was satisfied with the amount of training he put into preparing for the fight.
“It was the best fight camp I’ve ever had, on the night we just made one mistake and we paid for it,” Haggerty said. “We were well prepared, there was no stone unturned even if the performance wasn’t there.”
Going into the fight, Haggerty had won seven straight fights and captured two bantamweight titles during that run. While he lost his Muay Thai belt to Superlek, he remained bantamweight kickboxing champion.
And, despite being unaccustomed to defeat, he had no issues with the stoppage and refused to criticise the referee.
“I’ve been hit with the MMA gloves before and the shutters have come down for a split second,” Haggerty said. “This time the shutters came down for three seconds.
“I think I made the count but the ref must have seen I wasn’t in the right place. I’ve been down before and I definitely could have carried on but who knows? It might have been one shot away from bad damage.”
This was the second time Haggerty suffered defeat against the experienced Thai fight, but this time under much more emphatic circumstances.
During their first meeting in 2018, he was caught by Superlek with an elbow, which initially did not appear to have caused much damage but opened up a cut which forced the fight to be stopped.
On this occasion, however, the impact of Superlek’s elbow was much more evident.

“I wanted to perform the best I could,” Haggerty said. “That was the hard part, not being able to show what we can do and getting caught so early. It was devastating.”
While Haggerty was unable to defend his Muay Thai belt in Denver, he was able to bury the hatchet with compatriot and rival Liam Harrison.
There has been no love lost between the two bantamweights, who had exchanged some terse remarks in media interviews but put their issues behind them after a brief meeting backstage.
“After the fight we came across each other in the corridor and we both shook hands and put it behind us,” Haggerty said. “He’s been in the game a lot longer than me and he gave me a bit of advice which I’m grateful for. He’s a legend.”
Haggerty added that he is slowly recovering from the devastation of losing to Superlek and discovered a new-found sense of optimism.
“I’m back together, picking the pieces up,” he said. “I’m going to be working on myself to be a better fighter and a better person. The sky’s the limit.”


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Jonathan Haggerty shows respect after losing his Muay Thai bantamweight title to Superlek Kiatmoo9 at ONE 168. Photo: ONE Championship

Jonathan Haggerty is floored by Superlek Kiatmoo9 just 49 seconds into their Muay Thai bantamweight title battle at ONE 168. Photo: ONE Championship

Superlek Kiatmoo9 celebrates after securing the Muay Thai bantamweight title belt with a 49-second knockout of Jonathan Haggerty. Photo: ONE Championship

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Anissa Meksen (pictured) is set to fight Jackie Buntan at ONE 169, after their original fight was postponed. Photo: ONE Championship

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Martial Arts

The Englishman trained hard in preparation for the title fight, so it was particularly disappointing for it to be over so quickly


The Englishman trained hard in preparation for the title fight, so it was particularly disappointing for it to be over so quickly.
