Golden opportunities don't come everyday. Jeremy "The Jaguar" Miado understands that and he's just filled with gratitude as he gets the biggest break of his career as part of the special ONE X card this 26 March at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
"I'm really surprised to be added to this card because this is not just another big event, this is the 10th year anniversary card for ONE Championship. This means so much for me as an athlete because I will be part of a historic card like this alongside some of the big names here at ONE," he said.
Miado is indeed honored to share the stage with the likes of ONE Women's Atomweight World Champion "Unstoppable" Angela Lee, reigning ONE Women's Atomweight World Grand Prix winner Stamp Fairtex, ONE Flyweight World Champion Adriano "Mikinho" Moraes, ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Champion Rodtang "The Iron Man" Jitmuangnon, and mixed martial arts legend Demetrious "Mighty Mouse" Johnson.
However, Miado's break also came with a cost as he will figure in a rare all-Filipino fight against Lito "Thunder Kid" Adiwang in a hard-hitting strawweight clash.
The news certainly left “The Jaguar” with mixed feelings as he said: "It's surprising to me because I will fight another Filipino. We are both fighting and hoisting our country's flag."
Tough as this challenge may be, Miado knows that he has no other recourse but to keep his focus and give it his all as he aims to extend his win streak to three.
"This won't be the first time that I will fight a fellow Filipino, so I'll just have to take the fight as like my other fights. I have so much respect for Adiwang, especially as he's a fellow Filipino, but I believe we will give it our all and not take this personally," he stated.
Indeed, the Blaze FC Strawweight Champion has faced Filipinos at ONE Championship before, tasting a split decision defeat to Robin "The Ilonggo" Catalan at ONE: KINGS OF DESTINY in April 2017.
A lot has changed since then, with Miado making a strong case for himself in the loaded strawweight class as he won three of his last four fights, including a pair of triumphs over Miao Li Tao, the last of which a scintillating second round technical knockout at ONE: NEXTGEN last October.
That only heightened his confidence level to get back in action and continue his push to make it to the top five of the official rankings.
"I feel so much excitement. Since my last fight [against Senzo Ikeda at ONE: HEAVY HITTERS] was cancelled, I have been patiently waiting for the call and I can say that I'm really 100-percent hungry to be back in action," he said. "Those wins against Miao have really been big for me knowing the things that some people say that I only got lucky. But I proved it to everyone and to myself and my confidence is really at an all time high."
Miado, holding a 10-4 card, promises that his ONE X appearance will be one of his bests to date, with him tirelessly working at the Marrok Force MMA Gym in Bangkok alongside the Zamboanga siblings Denice and Drex.
"Since I started here in Marrok, we've polished all of my skills, from striking, wrestling, to grappling. I'm really grateful for the help that Marrok has done for me and my career," he said.
And Miado is just positive that once he and Adiwang fight, this would be a perfect display of how potent Filipino fighters are at ONE Championship.
"Expect the unexpected. We're both explosive strikers and I know that Lito will also do everything to prepare for this match of ours," he said, already beaming with excitement for this all-Filipino showdown.
Through it all, Miado is betting on himself as he faces easily the biggest challenge in his career.
"Believe in yourself and believe in your team. Those are the things I'm taking heading into this match. I know my team supports me and I look at this as a step closer to my dream to be known and hopefully, challenge for the belt soon. I know that I can only do that as long as I continue to get wins, so I will try my best to achieve those goals."