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After successfully defending his ONE bantamweight kickboxing title against former K-1 champion Wei Rui at ONE 171. In only his second kickboxing match. He has proven himself capable of successfully transitioning between Muay Thai and Kickboxing, something few Nak Muay can do.
The question is now, what comes next? Not just for Johnathan Haggerty but for the bantamweight kickboxing division.
The future is challenging but bright for Johnathan Haggerty.
Johnathan Haggerty has proven quite several doubters wrong, even myself. He has shown significant improvement in his footwork and has adapted his signature kicks into kickboxing. He even included some very well-timed knees into his arsenal and found ways to infight in kickboxing without the clinch.
He did all of this while taking an incredibly talented fighter in Wei Rui, who himself is known for his footwork and kicks. With Johnathan Haggerty outworking him and pushing the pace, he successfully won the fight in a close fight that had a clear winner.
His evolution and proven ability to face the best in kickboxing have entirely shifted the narrative in Johnathan Haggerty’s favor. He went from possibly being an underdog against the top-ranked bantamweights to a very feasible possibility that he could beat them all, even Superlek.
After losing his years-long win streak, What is next for Wei Rui?
Wei Rui, despite losing in close fashion, as a result of losing his 21-fight win streak. Still, he showed his high-level skills, making him a very good match for Johnathan Haggerty, boxing and kicking with the British striker. He was simply outworked by the younger man. However, there are still incredible matchups for him in this division, and a fight with former champions Ilias Ennahachi and Petchtanong is still a viable option for Wei Rui.
Their scheduled bout on the same card fell through due to Ilias Ennahachi’s not being medically cleared by the doctors to compete. Although it bogged down the card, as that likely would have determined who the number one contender was after Wei Rui. However, this mishap will likely open up an opportunity for Wei Rui to face either Ennhachi or Petchtanong.
So it’s not over yet for the 35-year-old wushu-style kickboxer.
A desire to regain his muay Thai crown
Johnathan Haggerty now has to make a choice: face the row of killers in the division or attempt to regain his lost crown against either Superlek or Nabil Anane. He has even floated the possibility of a move to MMA. I personally hope the Muay Thai star sticks to the striking arts, but regardless of where the British striking icon goes, we will all be watching, as he has proven himself not to fear new challenges.
