Confidence is definitely riding high for Jeremy "The Jaguar" Miado after he silenced doubters and proved that his conquest of Miao Li Tao was no fluke.
The Filipino striker turned in a repeat performance over his Chinese rival, scoring a second round technical knockout win at ONE: NEXTGEN last Friday to show that his victory was not one-off.
"I've heard all the talk that I got lucky, and Miao even said it, but with this win, I think I proved that my past win was no luck and I really am the better fighter," he said.
Miado himself admitted that this version of him is a far more improved fighter, honing in on his lethal striking and fine-tuning his skills further since joining Marrok Force MMA in Bangkok.
The chance to work with elite warriors like siblings Denice and Drex Zamboanga surely helps, which is evident with the pop the Blaze FC Strawweight Champion showcased in his last fight against Miao.
"Here in Marrok, I'm more focused with my training. I don't think of anything else but to train and that has greatly helped me in my development as a fighter. It also keeps me sharp that my sparring partners are bigger than me, preparing me for my matches as I've gotten accustomed to being the underdog," he said.
"I can say that I got stronger and that's a credit to my continuous training. I've been blessed with an organized camp that has helped me with my takedown defense which made me more comfortable with my strikes because I know that whatever offense the opponent throws at me, I can defend myself well."
But Miado isn't done just yet, baring that he continues to be a student of the game and is relentless in his quest to add more weapons to his arsenal.
"My goal is to be a better fighter, so I just develop my Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and my wrestling because I know those in the top five have that weapon in them," he stated.
As for his next target, a match against Chinese rising star Banma Douji, who is coming off a loss to Dejdamrong Sor Amnuaysirichoke at ONE: BATTLEGROUND III last August is an interesting proposition
"I want to build my name before I challenge those in the top five. The goal is to get a shot for the title," he said
There’s no question, though, that we're seeing a renaissance of sorts from Miado as he seeks to finally be seen as a legitimate title contender at strawweight
"This is a new Jeremy. Those in my division should be wary because my level has improved and it's unlike what I had before," he said.