Martin Nguyen weighs in on Jonathan Haggerty vs. Fabricio Andrade: “It’s very, very hard to pick”

Anticipation is building as the date for the duel between Jonathan Haggerty and Fabricio Andrade draws near.

Both men will collide for the vacant ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing World Title. This bout headlines ONE Fight Night 16 on Prime Video and airs live in U.S. primetime from the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, on November 3.

The excitement is palpable, and no one understands this better than Martin Nguyen. The former two-division ONE World Champion recognizes the significance of the epic showdown.

Haggerty made a name for himself by winning World Titles in two separate weight classes under the ONE banner.

Standing in the reigning ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Champion’s path to claim two-sport glory is Andrade, the bantamweight division’s MMA king.

“They’re two of my favorite strikers to watch,” Nguyen said.

For Nguyen, one of the reasons the matchup is generating so much buzz is the distinct dynamics these two fighters bring to the table.

“In terms of MMA, for sure I see Fabricio holding the World Title for a long time. A long time. I don’t really see anyone in that division beating him. We haven’t seen his jiu-jitsu or his type of wrestling yet because, you know, he’s just been obliterating everyone on the feet,” he said.

“Jonathan Haggerty, he’s come up from flyweight and he’s on a tear. Obviously, more power, more speed. It’s very, very scary to stand across him now.”

Given this aspect, Nguyen wisely cautions against favoring one competitor over the other.

“This is a kickboxing fight. Everyone would think Haggerty would have somewhat of the advantage, and on paper, you would think, yeah, 100 percent,” Nguyen said.

“But on paper, if you look at Andrade, he started off in Muay Thai and kickboxing. He’s got a 40-3 record. That’s phenomenal. I think that’s more than Haggerty. So, he is a world-class striker, and it’s very, very hard to pick this bout and a winner.”

Martin Nguyen vouches for Fabricio Andrade’s seamless transition to kickboxing

Many are worried that it may be a tall order for Fabricio Andrade to transition to kickboxing for this bout.

Martin Nguyen, however, is confident that Andrade will make a smooth transition.

“[Andrade’s] elite when it comes to striking. So I don’t think it will take too much to transition at all,” he said.