“The hardest shot I’ve been hit with” - Jonathan Haggerty reveals the opponent that inflicted him the most pain

British champion striker Jonathan Haggerty has faced many hard hitters in the game in over a decade of doing combat sports. He considers Thai superstar Rodtang Jitmuangnon though whose hits he had to scrape through the most.

The ONE bantamweight kickboxing world champion spoke about it in a recent Ask Me Anything session on Reddit hosted by ONE Championship. He cited, in particular, his second showdown against 'The Iron Man' as the stage for the hardest blow he has ever received.

When asked by user Accomplished-Gift195 who was the hardest-hitting opponent he has faced so far in his career, 'The General' said:

"The hardest shot I've been hit with will be Rodtang's body shot in my second fight with him."

Get the latest updates on One Championship Rankings at Sportskeeda and more

Jonathan Haggerty's response (Screenshot courtesy of @onechampionship on Reddit)

Jonathan Haggerty has taken on Rodtang twice already in ONE Championship, both of which for the flyweight Muay Thai world title.

The first was in in August 2019, where Rodtang dethroned the Englishman as world champion by decision. Haggerty then tried to reclaim the belt in a rematch in January 2020, but was stopped by TKO by the Thai striker in the third round.

Haggerty has since bounced back from the two defeats at the hands of Rodtang, winning seven of his next eight matches, including transitioning to bantamweight and at point both holding the division's Muay Thai and kickboxing belts.

Jonathan Haggerty wants to reclaim Muay Thai belt in 2025

Jonathan Haggerty holds the ONE bantamweight kickboxing world title but is looking to reclaim the Muay Thai gold he also concurrently held previously. He wants to accomplish that goal in 2025.

He made it known in an interview with ONE Championship earlier this year, saying:

"My goals in 2025 are to become double champ again. I’ve done it before, and I want to do it again. I don’t think there’s ever been a two-time, two-sport ONE World Champion and I want to set another record with that. I’m here to take all the belts, it’s why I signed with ONE."

Jonathan Haggerty lost the bantamweight Muay Thai belt in September last year in the United States after being knocked out in just 49 seconds by Thai superstar Superlek Kiatmoo9.

Superlek, however, was stripped off of the world title after missing hydration and weight ahead of his scheduled unification match against interim champion Nabil Anane in March. The showdown still pushed through as a non-title match, with Anane winning by decision. The bantamweight Muay Thai belt is currently vacant.

Follow One Championship News, Schedule & Results at Sportskeeda.

Edited by Krishna Venki