It was only two years ago when Jeremy Miado delivered to fans one of the most exciting finishes in ONE Championship history, a devastating first round knockout win over Miao Li Tao at ONE: AGE OF DRAGONS back in November 2019.
After a feeling out process in the bout’s first three minutes, “The Jaguar” dared his Chinese foe to close in before the former unleashed a killer jumping right knee that connected squarely on the latter’s jaw for the instant knockout.
It was an astonishing triumph for Miado that showed his immense potential and earned him adulation worldwide.
On October 29, Miado will be in a compromising position as ONE penciled him to face his victim at ONE: NEXTGEN, giving Miao an opportunity to avenge the embarrassing defeat.
While wary of his rival’s capability to pull a revengeful victory on him, the Filipino fighter is just as driven to show that his win was no fluke and he is not a fighter that other ONE strawweights can just dismiss.
“People can say whatever they want to say, but my approach is always the same. I’m always motivated to show that I belong here in ONE and I deserve to be one of the best fighters in the strawweight division,” he said.
He also emphasized how his improved skills can propel him to repeat over the Chinese.
A lot has changed for Miado the last time he fought Miao.
Originally training with Switch MMA/Cage Gladiators, the Albay native has taken his act to Marrok Force MMA in Bangkok, where he currently trains with the likes of siblings Denice and Drex Zamboanga and where he has worked on his ground game to complement his already lethal striking.
“My fighting style is still the same, I still boast that power and strength. But I can say that I have worked on my ground game because that can help me be a more well-rounded fighter,” he said.
But as much as he added weapons in his arsenal, “The Jaguar” is also wary of the strides Miao has added to his game.
The Chinese remained active after their fight, trading wins against Ryuto “The Dragon Boy” Sawada, before a close unanimous decision defeat to no. 4-ranked strawweight Alex “Little Rock” Silva at ONE: BATTLEGROUND 2 last August.
“Miao improved a lot in his game, especially in his wrestling. I can see that he’s a lot more careful now in his posture and that would really give me a hard time in this rematch with him,” observed Miado.
His attitude and mindset will definitely serve him in avoiding his rival can pulling out a Manuel Marquez on him,
Marquez was famous for putting the exclamation point on his 4-bout rivalry with Filipino legend Manny Pacquiao by knocking out the recently retired fighting senator. In reality, he is still trailing the head-to-head count with Pacquiao winning two fights, albeit by split and majority decisions, and drawing the other.
Miado knows he is ahead in the tally and a second victory will seal any doubts on who won their duel and who will continue to deserve ascend in probably the most talent stacked division in ONE.
“This won’t be an easy fight for me because we already know each other very well and I know that he’s motivated to redeem himself from that knockout loss and get back at me.”, he ended.
By: Armando M. Bolislis