MMA news: ONE Championship star Jonathan Haggerty teases MMA debut
Jonathan Haggerty is one of the best kickboxers the world has ever seen, having previously held the ONE Championship flyweight and bantamweight Muay Thai titles as well as currently holding the bantamweight kickboxing title.
But on December 31st, 2025, Jonathan Haggerty made a post to his Instagram outlining his plans for 2026, saying, “I want the other two belts in ONE Championship Muay Thai and MMA.”
Claiming that he wants to be a three-sport champion, what are his chances of making the switch? Sports News Blitz’s Cameron Cleugh explores.
Muay Thai’s compatibility
Muay Thai seems like the perfect base for MMA, having high-level striking with all limbs as well as high-level clinching.
The same is true for kickboxing, however, to a lesser extent, as the clinch is not as big in the sport.
Although there is one fatal flaw in both sports that stops them from being more prominent in the UFC, and that is a tall, upright stance that leaves the hips exposed.
This weakness could be exploited by a wrestler, making takedowns easier than on a fighter with a traditional MMA stance.
Wrestling is such a crucial part of MMA, and strikers who cannot wrestle will not be able to survive against someone with high-level grappling skills.
If we look to the UFC for an example, Cyril Gane vs Jon Jones clearly shows what happens when a wrestler meets a striker.
Cyril had not prepared for Jones’ grappling and as a result was easily submitted two minutes into the first round.
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Exceptions to the rule
However, with all of that said, as to why kickboxing and Muay Thai are not solid bases for MMA, there are a few examples of fighters who have successfully made the switch and gone on to do remarkable things in MMA.
The most notable has to be Alex Pereira, who transitioned from Glory kickboxing and went on to become a double champion in the UFC after only a few years of grappling training.
Pereira’s nemesis, Israel Adesanya, also started in kickboxing before moving over to the UFC and becoming the middleweight champion.
With so many ways to win, it is not about being able to out-wrestle your opponent and submit them. If you're capable of negating takedowns and utilising what you do best, then you can still dominate.
This goes to show that no matter what your base is within MMA, you can succeed regardless, making an MMA championship belt seem even more possible for Jonathan Haggerty.
If Haggerty succeeds in becoming ONE’s MMA champion, then he will be the first person in the organisation to hold all three belts.
Haggerty’s talents for combat sports are clear to see, as few British Thai boxers can make it out of the UK and fight in Thailand at the highest level, so overcoming adversity is something that Jonathan is no stranger to.
In an interview with Ariel Helwani from early last year, Haggerty already outlined his plans to transition sports, saying that MMA is the final goal for him.
He admitted that he has not been training as much in MMA due to being preoccupied with defending both of his striking belts. However, this was 11 months ago, so only time will tell what the future holds for Haggerty.
To conclude, John Haggerty making the switch to MMA would be something that fans would be excited to see, and he has a talent for combat sports that would carry over to mixed martial arts.
With world-class striking and a ground game in the works, the ONE Championship roster will have to see him as a credible threat.
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