Connect with us

MMA

Jonathan Haggerty plans to lean on hard-earned experience against Hiroki Akimoto at ONE SAMURAI 4

Published

on

Jonathan Haggerty plans to lean on hard-earned experience against Hiroki Akimoto at ONE SAMURAI 4

In January 2019, a 21-year-old newcomer walked out in Jakarta with everything to prove. Nearly eight years later, he heads to Tokyo as a two-sport legend defending gold.

Jonathan Haggerty defends his ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing World Title against former divisional king Hiroki Akimoto at ONE SAMURAI 4 on Saturday, October 17. The contest broadcasts live from Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan.

The Briton opened his ONE account against Joseph Lasiri at ONE: ETERNAL GLORY, then stunned Sam-A Gaiyanghadao in his second outing to claim the ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Title. Two losses to Rodtang Jitmuangnon followed before he left flyweight behind entirely.

The breakthrough came in April 2023, when he became the first athlete on the global stage to finish Nong-O Hama, taking the ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Title. Months later, he knocked out Fabricio Andrade to capture the vacant kickboxing crown as well.

Superlek eventually took the Muay Thai belt, but the kickboxing title has stayed his. He defended it against Wei Rui at ONE 171: Qatar in February 2025 and against Yuki Yoza at ONE SAMURAI 1 this past April.

“What separates me is probably experience. I've been there. I've been in the five-round world title fights. I've been up against the best in the division, the best in the organization. The lights, the cameras, I'm used to it now,†Haggerty said.

“I've been in everybody's backyard, defended the belt, lost the belt, won it back. I think it's been a lot of character building for me as well.â€

Jonathan Haggerty credits relentless work ethic

Haggerty does not attribute his success to talent or luck. The 29-year-old points to a simple formula he has followed since his earliest days in the sport.

Akimoto offers a stern test of whether that formula still holds.

“I put it all down to hard work. Hard work, dedication, the will to learn, the will to win, and leaving no stone unturned. I train as hard as I possibly can. Like, you wouldn't believe,†Haggerty said.

“[This] means everything to me, so getting in there and winning it and winning, getting my hand raised, means a lot at the end.â€

This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM


Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

MMA

Colby Covington drags Daniel Cormier into ugly Jon Jones feud

Published

on

Colby Covington drags Daniel Cormier into ugly Jon Jones feud
Colby
Covington has brought Daniel
Cormier into his latest feud with Jon Jones.

Jones' protégé, Gable
Steveson, was knocked out by Sean Sharaf
in a major upset at UFC
331 in September in Los Angeles. Covington subsequently blamed
Jones' “bad energy†for Steveson's loss. Jones responded by saying
that Covington, his former college roommate, hasn't achieved even a
fraction of what he has in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Colby Covington tells Gable Steveson to leave Jon Jones for
Daniel Cormier

Covington responded by citing domestic abuse allegations against
Jones. “Chaos†said Jones' professional achievements don't excuse
his alleged conduct outside the cage. The former interim
welterweight champion then suggested that Steveson train with
Daniel
Cormier, Jones' longtime rival.

“The things I say only bother you because they're true,†Covington
wrote on X. “You're a narcissistic abusive sociopath. Your
achievements inside the Octagon don't make you a better person
outside of it. Those same achievements definitely don’t give you
the right to abuse women either, Jon. At the end of the day, I feel
for Gable being in this situation… It's too bad he can't take
punches from heavyweights as well as your wife does. If Gable
really cares about advancing in his career, he should leave you and
go train with a real man like Daniel Cormier.â€

Jones and Cormier's heated rivalry has continued since their
fighting careers ended. Jones defeated Cormier in their first UFC
bout, but his knockout victory in their rematch was overturned to a
no contest after “Bones†failed a drug test. Years after retiring,
“DC†has said he has no interest in reconciling with Jones.

Continue Reading

MMA

Mikey Musumeci vacates UFC BJJ title to ‘prioritize my training for MMA’

Published

on

Mikey Musumeci vacates UFC BJJ title to ‘prioritize my training for MMA’

Mikey Musumeci is no longer the UFC BJJ bantamweight champion, and he vacates the belt to focus on a potential transition to mixed martial arts in the future.

A former grappling champion in ONE Championship and four-time IBJJF world champion as a black belt, Musumeci was victorious in four title matches in UFC BJJ — all by submission — before entering the bowl this past September to win a decision over UFC bantamweight Bryce Mitchell.

“I am 30 years old and have been obsessed with training MMA and want to prioritize my training for MMA,†Musumeci wrote on a statement. “I train jiu-jitsu everyday still and can come back anytime.â€

That doesn't mean Musumeci will no longer compete in grappling and in UFC BJJ. He plans on continuing to do so, but without having to defend a title and possibly stalling the weight class as he pursues a new goal in MMA.

“I will continue to do more grappling super fights with UFC BJJ, just a different style of jiu-jitsu more to get people out of our sport to watch,†Musumeci wrote. “That means more to me at the point I am in my career. I want to thank everyone that has supported me and Claudia Gadelha and Hunter for how kind they have been with me and continue to be. Excited about my next chapter. SO MANY CRAZY THINGS AHEAD.â€

The now vacant UFC BJJ bantamweight title will be up for grabs in the main event of UFC BJJ 13 on Oct. 29, when Jalen Fonacier battles Kleber Barboza.

Check Musumeci's full statement below.

Continue Reading

MMA

Brendan Allen accuses Dricus du Plessis of taking ‘easier’ Kamaru Usman fight

Published

on

Brendan Allen accuses Dricus du Plessis of taking ‘easier’ Kamaru Usman fight
Brendan
Allen has criticized Dricus Du
Plessis for allegedly avoiding a fight with him.

A matchup between Allen and du Plessis was reportedly in the works
in January. According to Allen, the bout fell through after he was
told du Plessis was injured. Du Plessis went on to face former

Ultimate Fighting Championship titleholder Kamaru
Usman in July, winning by unanimous decision.

Brendan Allen explains why he believes he was a tougher
opponent than Kamaru Usman

Allen has accused du Plessis of avoiding him in favor of an easier
fight against Usman. “All In†acknowledges that the 39-year-old
former welterweight champion remains a bigger draw. However, Allen
believes he presents a tougher matchup, prompting du Plessis to
take the “easier fight.â€

“I know he's had the opportunity to fight me and he took the easier
route,†Allen told UFC on Paramount+. “He can say whatever he
wants; it's a fact. We were supposed to fight. And somehow it got
worked that Kamaru's name got thrown in there. And obviously Kamaru
is a bigger draw even though he's older, up a weight class. He took
the easier fight, plain and simple. Everyone knows it was the
easier fight. I'm bigger, I'm stronger, I'm faster. I think I'm
more talented, but people are gonna play off of Kamaru's resume.
OK, play off his resume, but I don't think that Kamaru can make it
five rounds with me.â€

Allen (27-7) enters his
UFC Vegas 122 main event against Christian
Leroy Duncan (15-2) on Saturday in Las Vegas with three
consecutive victories. Duncan has won five straight fights.

Continue Reading
Advertisement

OUR NEWSLETTER

Subscribe Us To Receive Our Latest News Directly In Your Inbox!

We don’t spam! Read our privacy policy for more info.

Trending