OUT TO prove that his feat two years ago was no fluke, Filipino fighter Jeremy Miado is dead serious in his preparation for his comeback, facing Miao Li Tao in the ONE Championship strawweight division this month.
Before his two-year layoff, Miado pulled off a first-round knockout against the Chinese in ONE: Age of Dragons in November 2019. It was his final blow before the pandemic hit.
Since 2020, the 28-year-old has been training under Marrok Force MMA in Bangkok, Thailand, alongside the Zamboanga siblings Drex and Denice.
"Okay naman dito. Kung sa Pinas, once a day training, dito, minimum of two sa isang araw. Nag-focus kami sa mga weakness ko sa wrestling, and in-improve namin ang ground game and striking," he said in a Tuesday presser.
Jeremy Miado vs Miao Li Tao: The match outlook
While Miado hasn't stepped inside the ring for two years, his foe has already had a few fights under his belt during the pandemic. Last April, he defeated Japanese Ryuto Sawada, before he lost to world champ Alex Silva via tight unanimous decision in August.
The Albay native can easily tell from watching his games that Tao had major improvements in his game.
"Ang ganda ng wrestling niya, takedown defense, tapos 'yung posture niya ngayon, hindi na tulad ng dati. Hindi na 'yung payuko, na kaya na-timing-an ko siya ng fly knee before," he described. "Yan mga napansin kong improvements pero may game plan na kami for that."
Miado added: "Hindi ko hahayaan na makabawi sa pangalawang match."
What Miado is bringing into his comeback game and his first fight since the pandemic began? His own major improvements, which he said will make the fight even more interesting.
"Tingin ko medyo tatagal ang laban, pero ine-expect ko K.O. pa rin, looking for knockout pa rin siyempre ang gameplan," he said. "Magandang laban to kasi parehong explosive. Makikita din ang improvement ko sa strike and ground."
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