There’s no questioning the pedigree Jeremy “The Jaguar” Miado holds, with the Filipino repeatedly asserting his claim as one of the most intriguing strawweights in ONE Championship.
But as lethal as his MMA game is, plaguing Miado’s ascent to the top has been his inconsistencies, with him yet to string back-to-back wins in ONE Championship since joining the promotion in 2017.
Through siblings Denice and Drex Zamboanga, Miado was led to join Marrok Force MMA in Bangkok where he hopes to finally make the leap and put himself in contention for the ONE Strawweight World Championship.
From the onset, it was a match made in heaven for Miado as he gets a chance to further hone his talents, adding to his dangerous striking skills with a refined ground game thanks to trainers in Thailand.
In his short time so far at Bangkok’s Marrok Force MMA, Miado has converted witnesses to his hard work in the gym into believers, including his impressed teammates and Williams Aranguiz, Director of Marrok Force’s MMA program.
“Jeremy doesn’t give up easily,” Aranguiz said.
“He has a very strong fighting heart and he loves his family. I know it has been very difficult for him recently, having been away from his family for over two years to focus on his career and it’s really a tough period for him. But he still comes into the gym looking to work hard every single day, and he’s just waiting patiently for his moment to shine.”
Aranguiz has certainly been in awe of Miado, who came to Marrok Force MMA through siblings Denice and Drex Zamboanga.
From the very beginning when the idea of bringing Miado on was brought to him, the Chilean mentor who holds a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu was impressed by the capacity of “The Jaguar.”
After all, Aranguiz had every reason to be impressed, seeing the Filipino strawweight drop Chinese foe Miao Li Tao with a flying knee that secured him a first round knockout victory.
But seeing Miado personally, he understood where the former Blaze FC Strawweight Champion lacked that led to his inconsistent performances in ONE Championship.
“They said he was a good fighter so I checked him out and I was surprised by his power, watching his knockouts, and his unpredictable style. So I was impressed to say the least,” he said.
“But when he arrived at Marrok Force, we worked a lot on his footwork, timing, and wrestling, especially in the area of takedown defense.”
As lethal as Miado is in his strikes, Aranguiz felt that the fighter lacked a solid ground game base, one of the reasons which has prevented him from stringing back-to-back victories in ONE.
He’s hopeful to change the narrative this time, with Miado intent on adding wrestling and grappling skills to his arsenal.
And the brief time spent together shows the changes, with Aranguiz lauding Miado’s constant improvement on the mat.
“He has improved a lot already,” he said. “I can say that Jeremy is a very humble fighter and as a martial artist, humility is a great trait to have. He’s a very simple man, a hard worker, and very coachable. I couldn’t be happier to have him as part of our team.”
For his part, Miado’s just overjoyed, noting the improvements he’s made in his brief stay thus far.
“I know the things I need to improve on, and I’m happy to see my development there with my ground game when it comes to wrestling and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu,” he said.
It also exposed Miado to higher quality training partners as he works daily with siblings Denice and Drex Zamboanga. The Zamboangas have been very helpful in honing Miado’s skillset, with the fighters driven to push each other to exceed their limits.
“The Zamboangas are really helpful for my growth as a fighter. They’re not hesitating in sharing their knowledge about martial arts to me and I can also say that we push each other up,” said the Albay native.
Aranguiz concurred.
“Having the Zamboanga siblings here as well, it just became easier for Jeremy to adapt. He’s highly-motivated and training with the Zamboangas, who are great fighters from the same country, there’s just a synergy between them,” said Aranguiz.
Miado’s not having a mentor to look up may had been part of his inability to give consistent performances in ONE. This, however, couldn’t be put on his head as he and his family spearheaded the maintenance of Switch MMA, their family gym.
Unfortunately, the difficulties brought on by the pandemic forced the Miados to close shop and left him lost.
“We were forced to close the gym. It was only me, my wife, and my brother who operated there and I was even the one who’s looked at as the coach there,” he shared.
Nevertheless, the one door that closed paved way for another to open, that of joining Marrok Force MMA.
The unexpected change of scenery could not have come at a perfect timing. It could possibly be the shift Miado has long needed as he aims for a repeat in his rematch against Miao Li Tao at ONE: NEXTGEN on October 29 in Singapore.
Miado knocked his Chinese foe out in the first round of their clash at ONE: AGE OF DRAGONS back in November 2019, and this do-over could silence the talks of his last win being a fluke.
For Miado, though, it’s all about showing this brand new version of himself — one who’s hungry and is raring to be taken seriously in the strawweight division.
“I can say that I’ve really improved on my skills and on my weaknesses. I’ve been training as hard as I could and I’m excited to be back in action against Miao,” he said.
It’s nothing short of saying that the move to join Marrok Force MMA might be the greatest decision Miado has ever made in his career.
“I feel like I really made a good decision in joining Marrok Force and I’m thankful that they gave me and my wife the opportunity to join their gym”, Miado said.
“At Marrok Force MMA here in Bangkok, we make sure that all our athletes are equipped with everything they need to excel. That way, they can focus on one thing and one thing only, and that’s to train and perform,” countered Aranguiz.
“This is the first time in his career that Jeremy has been training as a sponsored athlete, without having to think of other responsibilities. We all vibe with each other one hundred percent, more than a team, as a family. We all work great together. We are a pack of wolves.”
That’s why there’s no doubt in Aranguiz’ mind that when Miado returns to the Circle at ONE: NEXTGEN, the results will very much be the same.
“You will witness the same hungry young man, ready to send a message to his entire division that ‘The Jaguar’ is a force to be reckoned with,” he said.
By Armando M. Bolislis with ONE Championship
