AWARE that given the prevailing conditions with the pandemic opportunities to showcase what he can do are rendered limited, Filipino mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter Jeremy “The Jaguar” Miado said he is looking to pile up the wins every chance he gets.
Set to see action at ONE Championship’s “NextGen” event on Oct. 29 in a strawweight rematch with China’s Miao Li Tao, Mr. Miado (9-4) is raring to get back in the Circle and build momentum anew after nearly two years of inactivity.
“Yes, it was tough to be inactive in fights for some time. The forced break made me realize that I have to take advantage of every opportunity given to me because right now, you don’t know when your next fight will be,” said Thailand-based Mr. Miado in Filipino in a Messenger chat with BusinessWorld.
“I kept training during the break with my new team at Marrok Force so that I’ll be ready anytime I’m called up for a fight. Now, I’m looking forward to getting back and getting those wins,” he added.
Mr. Miado last fought in November 2019, beating Mr. Miao in the opening round by way of knockout (flying knee).
The win was a bounce back for him after losing in his previous fight. To date, he has a 3-4 record in ONE Championship.
Seeing action at NextGen, which features some of the future stars of ONE, Mr. Miado said he feels honored and viewing it as an opportunity to further solidify his standing in the main draw of the promotion.
“It is an honor to be included in this ONE card. I think I’m a more complete fighter now, and I will show to the world I’m no longer just a striker, but also have improved skills in wrestling and Brazilian jiu-jitsu,” he said.
At Marrok Force, Mr. Miado joined fellow Filipinos and ONE campaigners Denice and Drex Zamboanga.
NextGen is headlined by the ONE heavyweight kickboxing world championship fight between reigning champion Roman Kryklia of Ukraine and challenger Iraj Azizpour of Iran.
Also on tap are the atomweight world grand prix semifinal showdowns of Stamp of Thailand and Julie Mezabarba of Brazil, and Ritu Phogat of India and Itsuki Hirata of Japan.
In the Philippines, ONE Championship events are shown over One Sports and One Sports+. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo