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Freddie Haggerty Targets Rungruanglek Knockout To Chase ONE Contract | MiddleEasy

MiddleEasy · Jake Blend · 2026-09-11T10:10:21+00:00 · nguồn gốc

Freddie Haggerty believes a knockout of Rungruanglek TN Muaythai can move him within reach of a ONE Championship main-roster contract. The 21-year-old Englishman opens The Inner Circle 30 card at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok on Friday, September 11. Haggerty is chasing his second win of 2026 after a unanimous decision over Yonis Anane in May. Rungruanglek enters their strawweight Muay Thai bout with a 5-0 ONE record and three finishes, making him the first unbeaten promotional opponent of Haggerty’s current run. The official matchup post shows both fighters before the Bangkok bout: Haggerty Built A Movement Plan For Rungruanglek’s Pressure Haggerty said extra pad work with Christian Knowles and drills borrowed from his older brother Jonathan changed the focus of his camp. The plan is to create openings instead of meeting every exchange with a stationary brawl. “I’ve worked a lot with Christian Knowles – more than I usually do on the pads. I feel like my movement has gone up a level. I’ve been doing a lot of drills that Jon (Jonathan Haggerty) does, and I’ve been trying to change my game a little bit. I don’t just want to stand there and brawl, but I want to try and actually develop my game by hitting and moving and creating openings and stuff like that.” Rungruanglek’s five promotional victories include three finishes built around forward pressure and heavy punching. Haggerty expects to use feints and movement to test those reactions before increasing his own offense. “We’re gonna be hitting and moving, making sure we’re not there. I want to test his reactions against all my movement, then my feints, and then my power. And then as soon as we’ve got that read on him, I’ll try to tear him apart. His main weapon is punching. He comes in and swings. I haven’t seen much more than that. There is the odd thing, maybe a few elbows. But, other than that, he’s just a wild swinger.” His prediction has a specific pace: force Rungruanglek to chase in the opening round, then attack once frustration and wasted swings slow the Thai fighter. “I can get him out of there in round two. I’ll let him come to me in round one. I’ll let him chase me, and he’ll only tire himself out. When he’s frustrated, he’s going to swing more and waste his energy. Then, I’ll hit and move as he comes to swing and catch him just as he comes in. I want to catch him clean on the chin – no getting up, no moving, just flat on the floor.” A Knockout Could Put The Six-Figure Contract Within Reach ONE has used the US$100,000 contract to move Inner Circle standouts onto its global roster, including Ubaid Hussain after The Inner Circle 28. Haggerty believes a fourth ONE finish would put him close to the same opportunity. “If I can go out there and put on a great knockout, I believe I’m not far at all from the contract. Also, I came into ONE Championship as a young 19-year-old kid. And I feel like I’m still seen as that young kid. I want to break that image. I turn 22 the week after this fight. I’m a grown man now. I’m ready to start pushing up the rankings, and then eventually secure the belt within the next year or two.” Haggerty turns 22 on September 18. His older brother Jonathan became a two-sport ONE champion by knocking out Fabricio Andrade, but Freddie’s immediate target is a contract and his own path toward the strawweight rankings. “It’d be a great achievement to secure the contract. I’ve seen my brother do it. He was 21 when he first fought in ONE Championship. I have fought in a big show once. Obviously, it was only a one-time thing. But to be able to have the opportunity to grow, not only in fighting, but in my personal brand. To just grow everything and scale this as big as it possibly can be means the world to me.” The bout begins a card topped by Rambolek Chor Ajalaboon’s bantamweight Muay Thai title fight with Yod-IQ Or Pimolsri. Haggerty’s contract case depends on turning his movement plan into the finish he predicted against a 5-0 promotional opponent.