Jonathan Haggerty Believes Infamous Push Kick Is Best Weapon Against Yuki Yoza At ONE SAMURAI 1
Yuki Yoza fights in a straight line. He is at his most dangerous when he closes the distance, slips into the pocket, and starts letting his rapid-fire combinations land. His 13-fight winning streak has been built on exactly that sequence, and he has made it work against world-class opponents including Petchtanong Petchfergus and reigning ONE Flyweight Kickboxing World Champion Superlek.
The problem is that Jonathan Haggerty has spent his entire career building a weapon designed specifically to stop fighters from getting there.
The 29-year-old ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing World Champion defends his title against Yoza at ONE Samurai 1 on Wednesday, April 29, at Ariake Arena in Tokyo, and his push kick will be the first and most consequential obstacle between the Japanese challenger and his ambitions.
Haggerty’s teep is not a range-finder. It is not a defensive reset tool. It is an offensive weapon deployed with the same timing, venom, and intent as a lead punch, crashing into opponents the precise moment they commit to closing the gap. Elite strikers have studied it, prepared for it, and walked into the ring believing they were ready. Most have left with the same bruised midsections and broken rhythms.
The weapon grew out of necessity. Standing tall for his weight class coming through the ranks in the UK, Haggerty learned early that his reach was an asset worth weaponising.
“My teeps were just part of my game from a very young age,” he said. “I was quite tall for my weight category growing up, and using the teep was quite effective. So I just continued building it brick by brick. Why stop if it’s working?”
It was already central to his game when he debuted in ONE Championship in 2019 against Joseph Lasiri, controlling the entire fight from distance with stiff front kicks the Italian could never solve. Months later, it helped him dismantle the legendary Sam-A Gaiyanghadao for the ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Title, strangling the Thai veteran’s rhythm before it could build. Against Rodtang Jitmuangnon in their two-fight series, it proved equally decisive.
“From my fights with Rodtang and Sam-A — those were the moments I realised the teep was really working,” Haggerty said. “From then on, it was something I’d always put focus on in training. I’ve just been continuously working on it to make it as dangerous as ever.”
What makes it genuinely difficult to prepare for is not the length or the power — it is the timing. Haggerty doesn’t throw it randomly or defensively. He reads the precise moment an opponent loads up or initiates movement and fires before they can land.
“Honestly, it’s just the timing,” he said. “Knowing when to throw it and not just wasting it. It’s straightforward, and I guess that’s what I love about it. The simplicity of throwing it and the timing, which helps with it being accurate.”
Yoza’s game hinges on entering Haggerty’s space. The teep was built to make that entry as uncomfortable and costly as possible. In his most recent outing against Wei Rui at ONE 171, the front kick arrived every time the Chinese kickboxer attempted to advance, resetting the range before any offense could be launched.
The champion makes no attempt to hide what is coming in Tokyo.
“Against someone like Yuki, who really loves getting in range, he’ll be feeling the full force of it in Japan,” Haggerty said. “Those teeps will be there from start to finish. On his face, the body, and maybe everywhere else I can hit him with it.”
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