After 19 long months, the wait for Jeremy “The Jaguar” Miado’s return to Manila, Philippines is finally over.
Miado will finally compete in front of a hometown crowd as he is scheduled to square off with Peng Xue Wen of China at ONE: CONQUEST OF CHAMPIONS, which takes place at the Mall of Asia Arena on Friday, 23 November.
This will be Miado’s third trip to the ONE Championship cage this 2018, and his first in Manila since making his promotional debut in April 2017 at ONE: KINGS OF DESTINY.
The former Blaze FC Strawweight Champion did not mince words about the excitement that he feels for his homecoming bout.
“I’m very excited for this opportunity to compete again here in my hometown and in front of my fellow countrymen, friends, and family. I’m thanking ONE Championship for allowing me again to fight here in Manila,” Miado expressed.
“I’ve been waiting for this opportunity to compete here in Manila for quite some time already, but I know that eventually, this moment will come,” he added.
After his maiden ONE Championship appearance in Manila, Miado took part in three overseas bouts, including his shocking upset victory over former ONE Strawweight World Champion Dejdamrong Sor Amnuaysirichoke in Bangkok, Thailand last March.
In preparation for his bout at ONE: CONQUEST OF CHAMPIONS, 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.
“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 this past 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.
Standing in his re-entry into the winner’s column is a Chinese Wrestling Silver Medalist such as Peng, who has won two-straight matches after yielding to Filipino strawweight contender Rene Catalan in January of this year.
Despite his Chinese opponent’s exceptional credentials as a highly-decorated wrestler, Miado believes that he has what it takes to have his hand raised in triumph on Friday.
“I know he has a strong ground game, but I am a different fighter today. If he wants to bring me to the ground, so be it. I am ready for the challenge. I am confident that I can win this fight against him,” he ended.
