ONE bantamweight kickboxing world champion Jonathan Haggerty’s preparation for his scheduled title defense next month is coming along well. He recently shared on social media the current form he is in.
‘The General’ will defend his world title for the second time at ONE Samurai 1 on April 29 at Tokyo’s Ariake Arena. Streaking and hometown bet Yuki Yoza will be challenging the divisional king in the next big event to be held in Japan.
In a recent Facebook post, an absolutely ripped Haggerty fired warning shots for his title defense as he showcased his explosive and powerful punches while in training.
He captioned his post with:
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“20 seconds on 20 seconds off 🔥 6 weeks to go #ANDSTILL”
Entering ONE Samurai 1, Jonathan Haggerty is coming off his successful defense of his world title in February last year, where he outgunned Wei Rui of China for a convincing decision victory. Haggerty claimed the vacant bantamweight kickboxing gold in November 2023 after defeating then bantamweight MMA world champion Fabricio Andrade by knockout in the second round.
Meanwhile, out to cut Haggerty’s reign is Yoza, who has been undefeated in three matches to date since joining ONE Championship last year.
ONE Samurai 1 is the debut event of ONE Championship’s new monthly fight series in Japan.
Yuki Yoza looking to find gaps in Jonathan Haggerty’s game
Yuki Yoza is aware that he is up against a formidable opponent in kickboxing champion Jonathan Haggerty at ONE Samurai 1. He, however, said that he is up for the challenge and is looking for gaps in the game of the British striker that he intends to capitalize on come fight night.
The 28-year-old Team Vasileus standout made known of his intentions in an interview with ONE Championship as he angles to add his name to the list of world champions in the promotion.
Yoza said:
“The more polished a fighter is, the more there are hidden gaps to exploit. Finding those gaps and how to attack them will be the key theme for me going into this fight.”
Yoza was last in action in November, scoring an upset decision victory over Thai superstar Superlek.
Edited by Aziel Karthak
