Walking through the entrance of the Tankhead Thai Boxing gym in downtown Denver last Thursday, Jonathan Haggerty stopped and smiled when he spotted the Bangkok Post waiting by the ring.
"Nice to see a familiar face," said ONE Championship's bantamweight Muay Thai king, who has been out in Colorado for a month with only his two trusted coaches Christian and Lyndon Knowles for company, as he prepares to headline September 6's titanic ONE 168 card at Ball Arena.
His opponent, the Thai pound-for-pound great Superlek Kiatmookao, only just arrived in the United States on Sunday, after instead finishing up his fight camp in his home country.
It's a hot topic among fans and media, with many wondering whether "The Kicking Machine" will malfunction at altitude in the "Mile High City".
"We're both fighters – once we get in there we know how to fight," said Haggerty, however. "It might just come down to the later rounds. He might get a little bit stuck."
"The General" is already well-acclimated to the conditions, even running to and from the gym either side of an intense workout, and this interview.
"We thought we would be fine," Haggerty recalled of his own arrival in Denver. "Then the day we got out here we started doing kicks on the pads to open up our lungs, and knew we were in for a hard time.
"It was a little bit difficult to get your breath back. Me and Chris looked at each other after the first warm-up and thought, ‘Woah, this is tough'.
"But lucky enough we've had three or four weeks to acclimatise. We're ready, that's all that matters – we don't care if he's ready or not."
Before turning up the intensity at the Tankhead gym, Haggerty paused as he caught his reflection in a ringside mirror on the wall.
"And still," he muttered, as he flexed his muscular frame – but Christian Knowles was quick to ensure his charge's focus stayed on the task at hand, barking: "Get yourself in position please, John."
It was a mantra Haggerty went on to repeat at various points throughout his workout, though.
"We do it every camp, just let ourselves know we're the champ and we still will be after the fight," he said.
Haggerty is well aware Superlek will target him with body shots, and so had heavyweight fighter Lyndon Knowles rip him to the abdomen with three brutal rounds of 30 punches while he was suspended from a pull-up bar in the corner of the gym.
"I think that's what everyone's gonna target. Everyone goes on about that Rodtang fight," Haggerty said, referencing his flyweight title rematch loss to "The Iron Man" at Bangkok's Impact Arena in January 2020, when he was dropped three times by blows to his body.
The days of Haggerty draining himself to make the 135lb flyweight limit are long gone, however, and he has truly grown into his new frame as one of the biggest and strongest fighters in his new division.
"As long as we're prepared and we're well conditioned, that's all that matters," Haggerty added. "Let Superlek fall for it. Let him go for the body, and leave himself open."
Superlek himself is coming up from flyweight, where he reigns as ONE's kickboxing king, but has hardly had the smoothest of preparations.
"I'm not too sure if I'll get the best Superlek. I hope I do, because when I do beat him, I don't want any excuses," Haggerty said. "We're focused on ourselves, and being the best I can be in that Circle. That's all that matters. Whether he comes in on form or not, we'll be on form."
Haggerty's daily runs here have taken him past the hallowed venue for Friday's highly anticipated main event, home of defending NBA champions the Denver Nuggets – and the significance of the occasion is certainly not lost on the 27-year-old Briton.
"As a young kid I watched the big US fight cards from the sofa with my dad, and now we're finally here, headlining one. I'm so grateful, and so thankful," Haggerty said.
"I've always liked the big shows. I perform better on them, that's where I want to be. I'm just thankful Chatri [Sityodtong, ONE chairman and CEO] gave us this opportunity, and we took it with both hands."
The game plan is "simple", Haggerty insisted, when asked by the Bangkok Post if it was fine to film his training session, out of fear it could tip off his opponent on what to expect.
"Knock him out. There's a first time for everything," Haggerty said, with another smile.
