ONE strawweight contender Jeremy “The Jaguar” Miado is unbothered that he may stand to lose more than he could gain in his upcoming matchup. “The Jaguar” is set to welcome undefeated promotional newcomer Mansur Malachiev to the stacked mixed martial arts division at ONE Fight Night 11 on Prime Video: Eersel vs. Menshikov on Friday, June 9th. 

Miado has proven himself as one the best finishers at strawweight by claiming a knockout in all six of his victories in ONE Championship. He is currently riding an impressive four-fight win streak, with his last win, against #5-ranked contender Danial Williams in October 2022, serving as his most significant.

Jeremy Miado viewed his bout against Mansur Malachiev as a necessary risk

The Marrok Force athlete understands that a World Title opportunity is within his grasp, and he could be risking a potential spot in the divisional rankings against Malachiev. But he believes that it is a necessary endeavor if he wants to show that he is a genuine threat to Jarred Brooks’ World Title.

“[Fans] can expect me to not fold under pressure. I’m sure there are a lot of eyes on us now because I’m facing an undefeated, double-champ in Eagle FC. People are expecting me to struggle with his wrestling, but I want to prove them wrong. Filipinos are different from who he faced before,” Miado told ONE Championship.

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“I took a risk in this fight. He’s only making his debut, while I believe I’m on my way to being a contender. So, in a sense, he’s lucky, because he’s going to zoom past the rankings if he wins. But I took the risk because I want to see where my skills are.”

Jeremy Miado wanted to test his grappling skills against Malachiev

Primarily known as a striker, “The Jaguar” believes that facing a wrestler of Malachiev’s caliber will prepare him for the challenges ahead. After all, Brooks, #2-ranked Bokang Masunyane, and #4-ranked Gustavo Balart all have grappling backgrounds that the hard-hitting 30-year-old should be ready for if he wants to work towards the gold.

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“Looking at the top five, almost everyone is a grappler. Mansur, being a high-level wrestler, will test me. I’m excited to see the outcome,” Miado said. “If I impress, maybe I even get Jarred Brooks. Looking at the rankings, Jarred has pretty much-beaten everyone in the top five. So yeah, I’m hoping for a great performance.”