British Muay Thai standout Freddie Haggerty is set for ONE Championship action on Friday, May 22, and he is entering the latest The Inner Circle event with a knockout victory on his mind.
The younger brother of ONE bantamweight kickboxing world champion Jonathan Haggerty had this to say in an interview with the promotion about his upcoming strawweight Muay Thai showdown against Yonis Anane: “I have a lot of trust and power in my hands, so I believe I will knock him out with my hands. Whether it be a right or a left, we’ll have to see. I’m fired up to return in style.”
Stacked Card Upcoming
Haggerty’s fiery words should have fans of the “Art of Eight Limbs” excited to watch him compete again, as his last outing was a unanimous decision defeat at the hands of Jordan Estupinan at ONE 170 in January of last year. This result snapped his three-fight winning streak.
His impending showdown inside the legendary Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, will be the second time he has shared the Circle with a brother of a fellow ONE athlete, as Anane is the younger sibling of former ONE bantamweight Muay Thai king Nabil Anane. Funnily enough, Estupinan is the twin brother of 145-pound Muay Thai sensation Johan Estupinan.
Just like Haggerty, Anane heads into The Inner Circle with a point to prove after his own three-fight winning streak was halted by a unanimous decision defeat to Zhao Zhengdong this past March.
Haggerty Has a Plan
In his pursuit of a highlight-reel finish, Haggerty also bared his game plan for this matchup: “I feel like Yonis has only one game plan. Once his game plan gets messed up, he sort of panics and doesn’t know what to do, so he just goes swinging. But I’m always ready for him to go swinging.”
The Inner Circle will start at 7:30 PM (Philippines time) to open Friday’s two-event special. It will be headlined by the bantamweight Muay Thai firefight between Kiamran Nabati and Yod-IQ Or Pimolsri.
At 9:30 PM, ONE Friday Fights 55 is slated to begin, with Rustam Yunusov taking on Decho Mavinn Muaythai in a flyweight Muay Thai bout in the main event.
