Filipino mixed martial artist Jeremy “The Jaguar” Miado is ready to put it all on the line if it means getting closer to the top-ranked contenders of ONE Championship’s strawweight division.
Miado will put his four-fight winning streak on the line when he welcomes undefeated Russian wrestler Mansur Malachiev to the promotion at ONE Fight Night 11: Eersel vs. Menshikov on 10 June in Bangkok, Thailand.
Miado is certainly one of the division’s fastest-rising stars, having won five of his last six bouts – all of them coming from finishes.
That’s why his next bout is kind of tricky, but he likes the challenge.
“I took a risk in this fight. He’s only making his debut, while I believe I’m on my way to being a contender. So, in a sense, he’s lucky because he’s going to zoom past the rankings if he wins,” he said ahead of his strawweight MMA bout at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium.
“But I took the risk because I want to see where my skills are. Looking at the top five, almost everyone is a grappler. Mansur, being a high-level wrestler, will test me. I’m excited to see the outcome.”
After being mostly a stand-up fighter in his early days with ONE, Miado believes he has evolved into an athlete who can confidently exchange heavy blows on the feet without having to worry about being taken down.
That’s a testament to all the hard work he’s been putting in since moving to Thailand in 2020 to work with several gyms, including Marrok Force MMA.
“I’m confident that if he takes me down, I can get back up,” he said.
“I can hang with him wherever the match goes, neutralize his advancements, and push him to a striking battle, where my advantages are.”
All that risk could pay off in a big way for him. After all, he could find himself in a showdown with ONE Strawweight World Champion Jarred “The Monkey God” Brooks with another strong showing next month.
“If I impress [in this match], maybe I even get Jarred Brooks,” he said.
“Looking at the rankings, Jarred has pretty much beaten everyone in the top five. So yeah, I’m hoping for a great performance.”
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