“I knew it was a risk” – Felipe Lobo says stepping up on short notice to challenge Nong-O was a double-edged sword

Brazilian Muay Thai phenom Felipe Lobo will get another crack at gold as he challenges for the ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world title against Jonathan Haggerty at ONE Fight Night 19 on February 16.

Inside the historic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium, 'Demolition Man' will attempt to improve upon his previous world title opportunity and hopefully take the belt from 'The General', who also was his division's kickboxing world title.

Felipe Lobo first fought for the belt at ONE X back in March 2022, coming in on short notice against the then-world champion, the legendary Nong-O Hama. Speaking to ONE Championship, the Brazilian striker looked back at his failed attempt at reaching the top of the mountain:

“On that occasion, Nong-O was supposed to fight Alaverdi Ramazanov, but the Russian couldn't go to Thailand. At the last minute, ONE called me to join the fight. It was a great opportunity for me, but I knew it was a risk.”

After their fight, Nong-O went on to defend his belt two more times before dropping it to Haggerty while Lobo rose back up in the ranks. Facing the man who defeated Nong-O, 'Demolition Man' has the opportunity to win the belt and one-up the man who last KO'd him.

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Felipe Lobo revealed what went wrong in his fight with Nong-O Hama

Giving an objective assessment of his performance against the former world champion, Felipe Lobo revealed what went wrong for him that night:

"I started very slowly in that fight. Because it was a title fight, I should have started more aggressively. But now it will be different. I'm going to start being more aggressive. I'm training really hard."

Look to see Felipe Lobo start strong early against Jonathan Haggerty. If his aggressive plan works out, we might see a new world champion as early as round one. Stay tuned.

ONE Fight Night 19 will air live on US Primetime on February 16, free of charge for existing Prime Video subscribers in North America.