Jonathan Haggerty had a rather frustrating last couple of months.
The British Muay Thai star hasn't been in action since earlier this year when he put on a beautiful striking display against Mongkolpetch, winning a unanimous decision at 'ONE: Bad Blood' in February.
After that, problems started to appear.
Haggerty was booked to face Walter Goncalves in the quarterfinals of the ONE Muay Thai Flyweight Grand Prix at 'ONE Live on TNT' on May 20. However, close to the fight Haggerty pulled out of the fight citing health reasons, and was replaced by Josue Cruz. He later revealed, he had kidney issues caused by severe dehydration and weight cutting.
Only three months later, he got his second shot at Grand Prix glory when he was scheduled to take on Amir Naseri in a Flyweight Grand Prix alternate bout at 'ONE 161' on August 27. Once again, he withdrew only a couple days out from the fight due to a ‘non-COVID-related illness'. Obvious speculations he had the same weight-cutting-related issues started to surface.
The 5'7 tall Flyweight has always been one of the larger contenders in the division, and his own 'Fight Camp Vlog' has detailed the strict diet and harsh training he puts himself through to make the 135lbs weight limit. On top of that, ONE Championship's own hydration testing isn't making things easier, with even the divisions Champion Rodtang not making the walk to the scales at his last scheduled fight against Savvas Michael at ‘ONE on Prime Video 1’ on August 27.
ONE Championship's latest Instagram story might be an indication where the career of the 25-year old is heading.
The promotion took it to the polls, to let the fans decide, who they want to see against Nong-O Gaiyanghadao.
Haggerty was quick to throw his own name into the hat.
The ONE Muay Thai Bantamweight Champion & legend of the sport has been on a tear throughout the promotion, going undefeated in his 9 fights and defending his title 6 times. In his latest fight, just three weeks ago, he stopped fan-favorite Liam Harrison in the first-round. Slowly running out of suitable challengers, with only a Saemapetch rematch making sense at the moment, it might also be in the promotions interest if Haggerty moved up 10 pounds, to scramble up the division and climb up the ranks.
With Haggerty's health in mind, and factoring in that he already lost twice to the divisions Champion Rodtang, looking to compete at a more sustainable weight and seeing how well he adjusts might just be right move for him.
