Jonathan Haggerty teases transition to MMA after ONE Fight Night 16 win: “Be careful Andrade – I’m coming for your belt”

Jonathan Haggerty is taking a deliberate approach to his transition to MMA following his historic victory at ONE Fight Night 16 last Friday, November 3.

“The General” recently captured the vacant ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing World Title with a stunning knockout victory over divisional MMA king Fabricio Andrade.

This monumental win did more than just add hardware to his collection. With the divisional Muay Thai crown already in his possession, it also enshrined him as the latest two-sport World Champion in ONE Championship.

In the wake of his triumph, he made it clear that his next goal is to capture the ONE Bantamweight MMA World Title held by Andrade.

However, it seems that Haggerty would like to take his time before he jumps into the world of MMA.

“I’m in no rush. [I’ll] take it step-by-step and go with the flow. When it feels right, I’ll go for it,” he said.

One of the primary factors influencing his decision to delay his MMA debut is his commitment to protecting his reign as bantamweight Muay Thai king.

“I need to defend my Muay Thai belt first. That is always first on my list, but then obviously the kickboxing title came up and I loved the challenge, so I took it,” Haggerty said.

“I want to defend my Muay Thai belt now because I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: you’re not a champion until you’ve defended your belt. So let’s defend this Muay Thai belt and get this show on the road.”

Jonathan Haggerty agrees to train with Ruotolo twins

Jonathan Haggerty seems to be fully aware of the areas he needs to work on before trying his hand at MMA.

The Brit striker revealed that he has received an offer from none other than the Ruotolo brothers, Tye and Kade, to help him develop his ground game.

What makes this story even more interesting is the fact that the Ruotolo brothers themselves are teasing a potential transition to MMA.

“I got a video on my phone shaking [Tye Ruotolo’s] hand and agreeing to train with them when I make my MMA debut, so that’s already locked in,” Haggerty said.

“We’re already aiming for the stars, so be careful MMA division. Be careful Andrade – I’m coming for your belt.”