Two-sport ONE world champion Jonathan Haggerty is aiming for a finish against heated rival Felipe Lobo this weekend.
"The General" puts his ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Title on the line against the dangerous Brazilian in the ONE Fight Night 19 headliner on Saturday, at the historic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium.
Lobo earned his shot at world title glory with a stunning come-from-behind knockout win over top divisional contender Saemapetch Fairtex in his last outing at ONE Fight Night 9.
The 30-year-old rose from the canvas to put his foe away in dramatic fashion during the final round of the contest. But according to Haggerty, he won't get the same opportunity to fight back if the British star lands flush.
"I feel like Felipe starts very slow, and he's got a very Thai boxing style, but you can't relax like that against me," he said.
"If you put it on him, he doesn't like it, and he's going to crumble. I bring that style where I'm going to put it on you until the bell goes, so I'm just wondering how he's going to cope with my pressure and my strikes. He did great against Saemapetch. He came back from a knockdown and showed great heart and great determination, so this will be a great fight. But he won't be getting back up after I hit him. That's the difference."
There will be some extra spice in this fight, too.
The pair have struck up an intense rivalry since Haggerty knocked out Lobo's stablemate Fabricio "Wonder Boy" Andrade to claim the vacant bantamweight kickboxing strap this past November.
Lobo was in the bantamweight MMA king's corner that night and stormed the ring during Haggerty's post-fight interview.
What followed has been repeated barbs back and forth, but Haggerty believes -- with the help of some purported inside information -- that he will have no problems with Lobo, having already dispatched his teammate Andrade.
"I'm going to come out of the blocks explosive, find the shots early in round one, and hopefully find what I'm looking for to get the job done. I always prepare for a five-round fight, but if you can get it done in round one or round two, then why not?" Haggerty said.
"And I feel like I'm in his head. I'm 1-0 up against his training partner. I heard that Andrade gets the better of him in sparring. I'm not too sure how true that is, but if it is then, well, we're going for round one."