Driven by the desire to become an all-around mixed martial arts competitor, Filipino dynamo Jeremy “The Jaguar” Miado traveled 1,109 kilometers to train in Sabah, Malaysia for two weeks.
The 25-year-old knockout artist briefly left his home in Marikina City, Philippines to supplement his growth as an athlete by spending time at the Kota Kinabalu-based Borneo Tribal Squad, which is one of the top mixed martial arts gyms in Asia.
Under the tutelage of AJ “Pyro” Lias Mansor, one of the finest mixed martial arts coaches in the region who is responsible for developing Malaysian sensation Ann “Athena” Osman, Miado learned invaluable tricks of the trade in grappling arts such as wrestling and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
“Jeremy has heavy hands. He has knockout power, but the glaring area that needs improvement is his grappling. We focused on that during his stay in Kota Kinabalu. We also gave him a good conditioning program to maximize his stamina and endurance,” Lias Mansor said about Miado’s two-week visit at Borneo Tribal Squad.
Praised for his tremendous power in both hands, which became very famous when he knocked out former ONE Strawweight World Champion Dejdamrong Sor Amnuaysirichoke this past March, Miado is fully aware that the grappling aspect of the sport is his Achilles’ heel, prompting him to give solid attention to his ground game at Borneo Tribal Squad.
“I admit that my ground game needs improvement.
“That’s why my team in the Philippines sent me to Malaysia to work on it. It was worth it, especially I had the chance to learn from my mistakes in my last fight,” he discussed.
In his most recent outing, Miado suffered a three-round unanimous decision defeat at the hands of Thai wrestler Kritsada Kongsrichai last June.
“I want to achieve more in this sport, and the first step that I need to do is to acknowledge my weaknesses, and then learn and develop my skills.
“These guys at Borneo Tribal Squad did a great job in bringing out the best in me,” Miado stated.
Miado pointed out that Kota Kinabalu is one of the perfect places to camp for an upcoming bout as Borneo Tribal Squad’s training facility is situated near the renowned natural wonders of Malaysia, which gave him the luxury and pleasure to train both indoors and outdoors.
“Other than the people who didn’t even hesitate to share their knowledge to me, Kota Kinabalu is another reason why I trained in Malaysia. This is the perfect location to improve your cardio and relax after a long day of hard training,” he said.
Miado assured that it would not be the last time that he is going to train with the accommodating athletes and trainers of Borneo Tribal Squad.
“Training with people that have the same mindset as yours is something that you need to consider if you want to grow in this sport. I am so thankful for their hospitality,” he promised.
“I will definitely be back.”
With ONE: Conquest of Champions in Manila on November 23 already receiving massive attention from the public due to the announced bout between Eduard “Landslide” Folayang and Amir Khan for the vacant ONE Lightweight World Championship, Miado is hoping to be part of the promotion’s final event on Philippine soil for 2018.
“I want to fight again. I am free this November for the Manila event. Having a fight in Manila this coming November will be amazing because I will have the chance to exhibit what I learned from training at Borneo Tribal Squad.”
