ONE FC Muay Thai: Jonathan Haggerty dominates Taiki Naito
This is a Muay Thai fight we've been looking forward to all month and what a performance from both Jonathan "The General" Haggerty and Taiki "Silent Sniper" Naito!
In case you're unfamiliar, here's a quick breakdown of each fighter:
Jonathan Haggerty (UK)
- Former ONE Flyweight Muay Thai Champion
- Record: 15-4-0
- Formidable muay sok (elbow fighter) with a notorious teep (front push kick)
Taiki Naito (JP)
- Young, talented Japanese kickboxer with an 80% win rate and a 2cm height advantage over Haggerty
- Record: 32-8-0
- Formidable with his hands and possesses a quick and nasty left hook.
Fight Overview
Much like Taiki Naito, ONE Championship fans would've likely expected an entirely different game plan from the former Flyweight Champion. Haggerty shocked his opponent by ditching his signature aggressive game (something Naito planned to use against him) and delivered three rounds of sharp, controlled kickboxing instead without throwing a single elbow, knee and without engaging in a clinch.
Throughout the match, Naito failed to find his distance or pace and found himself constantly out of reach and unable to show off his boxing prowess. While Naito held his own in the first round with a persistent low kick, Haggerty's effortless footwork, teeps, stance switches and feints proved too problematic for the Japanese fighter.
Combined with a new-and-improved, fiery right cross, Haggerty managed to knock down Naito - not once - but twice. Check them out below:
Round 1 Knockdown
Round 2 Knockdown
One thing that's clear from these two knockdowns (and from the entire match really) is how closely Haggerty stuck to his game plan. This left feint kick to right cross combo that delivered both knockdowns became The General's deadliest weapon through all three bouts and sure enough, Haggerty later gives credit to his trainers for drilling in his right cross to nullify Naito's dangerous left hook.
Naito put on an impressive performance despite being knocked down twice, displaying his incredible fighting spirit. By the third round he regained his composure, found his pace and landed some good combinations of his own.
Unfortunately for the young Japanese fighter, Haggerty "outfought Naito even before he stepped into the circle" (commentator Michael Schiavello) by fully committing to a superior game plan that Naito was unable to adapt to.
We still look forward to Naito's next matchup and of course, who Haggerty faces next!