Felipe Lobo thinks Jonathan Haggerty can’t take a punch! The two men are set to face off on Saturday and it sounds like the Brazilian believes he will win with a knockout.
Haggerty holds two titles and will be putting his bantamweight Muay Thai belt on the line at ONE Fight Night 19. Lobo has watched the Englishman’s previous fights and clearly thinks he has a weak chin,
“His weak point is that he can’t take many hits. He’s very good at hitting, but when it comes to defending himself, protecting himself, he’s not so good.”
A glimpse of the final strength & conditioning session that Felipe Lobo put in with coach Jay Patto here at Tiger Muay Thai, before flying to Bangkok ahead of his ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Title fight vs Jonathan Haggerty coming up this Saturday at #ONEFightNight19 👊 pic.twitter.com/ZxwNKKkgRM
— Tiger Muay Thai (@tigermuaythai) February 15, 2024
Strong point
While Lobo has identified a weakness in Haggerty’s game he acknowledges that the Englishman does have his strengths. You don’t win the ONE Championship bantamweight Muay Thai and kickboxing titles and beat opponents like Sam-A Gaiyanghadao, Nong-O Gaiyanghadao and Fabricio Andrade without being a top fighter.
Lobo knows he will have to be wary of Haggerty’s speed,
“He knows how to use his boxing very well. He moves forward all the time and kicks very well. Furthermore, he has good feints that I need to pay attention to so as not to be surprised. But I believe his strong point is his speed. He moves very well.”
Felipe Lobo blasting kicks on the pads with Kru Boy here at Tiger Muay Thai, 12 days out from challenging Jonathan Haggerty for the @ONEChampionship Bantamweight Muay Thai World Title at #ONEFightNight19 💥 pic.twitter.com/x7EAXFDqni
— Tiger Muay Thai (@tigermuaythai) February 6, 2024
Well documented
The bad blood between the two men has been well documented but Lobo says there have been times when Haggerty has shown him respect,
“When my fight with Saemapetch ended, back at the hotel, he walked past me and said, ‘I liked watching you fight. You’re next.’ He likes to talk a lot. He is talkative.”
But Haggerty’s trash talking might have backfired. Lobo says it has only made him more determined to win this weekend,
“This confrontation certainly increased my desire to face him. Especially because in the ring, he said I was a nobody. So, I want to show him who I am.”
Felipe Lobo 🇧🇷 lights up Yodpanomrung in a three-round slugfest to win his ONE Super Series debut! #ANewBreed3 #WeAreONE #ONEChampionship pic.twitter.com/2dhYjMTC6p
— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) September 18, 2020
Knockout win
Only one man has ever stopped Haggerty in ONE Championship fights. That was Rodtang Jitmuangnon back in 2020 but Lobo is convinced he will be able to do just that this weekend,
“My prediction is to win this fight by knockout. I’m going to knock him out, that’s my prediction.”
Lobo will clearly not be the favourite with fan’s expecting Haggerty to continue his recent domination of the bantamweight division. The Brazilian has been fighting and training in Thailand for a long time and is convinced he has what it takes to pull off the upset.
