Change can be scary for a lot of people.
But those leaps of faith could also pay dividends for some.
Jeremy “The Jaguar” Miado is a testament to that, with his transition to Marrok Force MMA Gym in Bangkok bringing him more good than harm.
Showing tremendous improvement inside the ONE Circle, the Filipino strawweight silenced his doubters and proved that his mastery of Miao Li Tao was no fluke, repeating over his Chinese foe with a second-round technical knockout win at ONE: NEXTGEN last October.
“I’m very glad because I was able to show to everybody that I am for real,” he said. “After my first win against Miao [at ONE: AGE OF DRAGONS in 2019], many people thought I just got lucky, especially with our fight being held there in China. But in this second fight, I showed them that it wasn’t luck.”
Miado certainly didn’t need any luck when he unleashed a barrage of punches that forced Miao to retreat and prompted the referee to call for the bell at the 50-second mark of round two.
It’s certainly a morale-boosting victory for Miado, who improved his record to 10-4 and finally strung his first win streak at The Home of Martial Arts.
“That win really boosted my confidence. As an athlete, to win back-to-back fights shows that I am really improving after every fight. I was also able to prove to myself that I do deserve to be fighting here,” he said.
One can’t also fault Miado if the streak has him shooting for the stars as he dreams of one day challenging for the ONE Strawweight World Championship currently held by fellow Filipino Joshua “The Passion” Pacio.
For now, he’s taking things step-by-step and his next venture will be at ONE: HEAVY HITTERS when he opens the year 2022 with a clash against Senzo Ikeda of Japan this January 14 in Singapore.
Miado understands the dangers that Ikeda holds, with the Japanese veteran already facing the likes of Danny “The King” Kingad and Lito “Thunder Kid” Adiwang.
But it is in these bouts which Miado is taking inspiration as he also hopes to come away with a win over his next foe.
“He has already fought other Filipinos, so that’s something that I’m really studying. I know he’s a very active fighter and he’s just as capable on the ground, so I have to really prepare hard for him,” he stated.
What matters the most for Miado is his personal evolution as he makes the most of his time in Marrok Force MMA in hopes of one day ascending to that contendership status here at ONE.
“I look at this fight as a stepping stone for me to enter the [ONE Athlete] Rankings and get a title shot soon. And I’m just grateful that Marrok has helped me a lot in my training, allowing me to improve in my game, both in my striking and ground game,” said the spunky 5-foot-8 striker, who is looking ahead to a memorable 2022.
“This fight will be my first for the year, so they could expect me to continue to improve this 2022. Again, my goal is to enter that strawweight ranking and it’s the one thing that I really want to accomplish this year.”