On February 20, ONE Bantamweight kickboxing world champion Jonathan “The General” Haggerty will compete in the Lusail Sports Arena’s ONE 171 mixed martial arts competition in Doha, Qatar, to defend his title.
The British boxer will square off against Chinese kickboxing legend Wei Rui, who is currently on an astonishing 21-fight winning streak, to defend his coveted world title for the first time.
Before the eagerly awaited bout at ONE 171, Al Jazeera spoke with the Muay Thai and kickboxing legend.
Al Jazeera: Hi Jonathan, welcome to Doha. Have you seen an increase in MMA fan support and interest this time around? You’ve already traveled to the Middle East.
Jonathan Haggerty: Yeah, it’s amazing to be back here in Qatar. This time around, I’m fighting, I’m competing, so I’ve seen a lot of interest on social media around this fight, a lot of support from the Qataris, and it’s been great. I’m looking forward to putting on a fantastic show.
Al Jazeera: You are a multiple ONE world champion at Muay Thai, but you recently switched to kickboxing and are defending your Qatari title. Why did you pivot to kickboxing?
Jonathan Haggerty: Yes, I’ve recently moved to kickboxing. I was undoubtedly the world champion of Muay Thai. I’ve had a few Muay Thai fights, Muay Thai is my first love. But now, I’ve moved over to kickboxing, as well. I’m very excited to compete in kickboxing. I had the gift, and I seized it with both hands. And I’m the world champion now, I can’t wait to defend the kickboxing belt this Thursday.
Al Jazeera: You are fighting a super dangerous opponent in Wei Rui. When you wrestle him in the ring on Thursday night for the ONE 171 Championship, what are you anticipating from him?
Jonathan Haggerty: Yeah, 100 percent. My opponent is very dangerous. We can’t take him lightly. He’s got a 70-3 record which is very good, very impressive, and he’s the number one]in the bantamweight kickboxing rankings] for a reason, so it’s up to me now to be the best version of myself in there. We’re ready, we’re ready for anything that he brings.
Al Jazeera: You have been involved in MMA competition for more than a decade. At 28 years old, do you feel you have hit your peak yet as a fighter, as a competitor?  ,
Jonathan Haggerty: One hundred percent, I haven’t reached my peak yet. My next peak seems to be in sight. And I’m looking forward to the arrival. I feel like I’m still testing myself in both disciplines]Muay Thai and kickboxing] and I’ll be fully developed in the next few years, for sure.
Al Jazeera: What goals would you still like to reach in your fighting career?
Jonathan Haggerty: I’ll definitely like to pursue the MMA world title. I’ll definitely be excited if ONE Championship decides to award me the MMA world title.
For greater length and clarity, this interview was edited.
Source: Aljazeera
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