Jeremy Miado Targets To Reclaim Spot In ONE Championship Strawweight Rankings

Jeremy Miado is ready to take on the most dangerous opponent of his professional career yet in a pivotal strawweight mixed martial arts (MMA) contest at ONE on Prime Video 3 on Saturday, October 22 (Friday, October 21 in the United States).

The 29-year-old Filipino spitfire is set to lock horns with Australian hard-hitter Danial Williams in a scheduled three-round encounter that may give the winner of the bout a seat moored to the division's Top Five.

There was a time when Miado occupied a place in ONE Championship's ever-shifting strawweight rankings after defeating compatriot and Team Lakay standout Lito Adiwang by way of injury stoppage in the second round this past March.

However, his tenure in the standings was ephemeral following the entry of Gustavo Ballart by virtue of the Cuban's hard-fought unanimous decision victory over then-No. 3-ranked and two-time world title challenger Yosuke Saruta this past May.

Another shakeup occurred in the 56.7-kilogram weight class nearly three months later as Williams entered the rankings at the No. 5 spot courtesy of his emphatic knockout of Zelang Zhaxi and then saw Balart move up to No. 4.

The order of contenders in the Top Five has stayed intact ever since.

Now, "The Jaguar" can possibly take his ranking status back and he is ready to grab it with both hands.

"I guess we can say that he's just more active than me. Maybe that's why they (ONE Championship's panel) decided to put him over me in the rankings. But that's not a problem for me because now I'll get to face him. Now what I plan to do is take that ranking back directly from him," Miado stated in a recent interview.

The cage date between Miado and Williams has been brewing for months after the latter challenged the Marrok Force MMA representative in one of his post-fight press interviews.

"Guys like Jeremy Miado excite me," Williams mentioned in an earlier interview. "I just like his style. I'm here to put on a show for the fans. The fans want to see action. I'm here to put on a show for the fans, and Miado is going to be the guy who's going to give it to me."

Miado has won his last three assignments under the organization's banner, including back-to-back knockout wins over Chinese arch-nemesis Miao Li Tao.

Like Miado, Williams is also riding high on a three-bout winning streak of his own.

Although Williams—who initially made a name for himself in Muay Thai—has turned heads with his exploits under MMA rules, Miado feels that he will have the upper hand in several aspects of the multi-faceted sport.

"I believe he's faced a higher quality of opponents when it comes to solely striking, but if we're going to talk about mixed martial arts, then I believe I'm more experienced than him, and that's something that I have over him," the Filipino said of the matchup.

"I [also] believe I'm going to have a reach advantage over [Williams] in this fight," he continued. "I think it works well because my hands are also faster than his, and that combination of reach and speed is something that I can use to my advantage. Don't get me wrong–he's got power in his hands, but I think mine are quicker."

Both men are known to be lethal strikers, but against a fellow stand-up specialist such as Williams, Miado promises to utilize every weapon available to walk away with his hand raised in triumph.

"If there's a chance for me to go for a takedown, and it will be advantageous for me, then I'll take him down. But if I feel like I'm ahead in the striking, and I feel comfortable, then why would I take him down? I guess it will depend on how the momentum of the match plays out," he stressed.

Regardless of where the action does end up, Miado is confident that he will be the last man standing at the 16,000-seater Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

"This will be a very good fight. You better not miss this. This one's going to be a fight between two men who are willing to throw hands. I expect a finish. I'll end it with either a KO or TKO," he declared.