Nine years into his ONE Championship career, Jeremy Miado still opens cards the same way he always has — by looking for a finish. On Friday, March 13, the Filipino flyweight steps into Lumpinee Stadium to face South Africa's Willie "White Lion" van Rooyen in the opening bout of ONE Fight Night 41: Sinsamut vs. Jarvis on Prime Video, and he has made his intentions clear.
Miado has built one of the promotion's most reliable highlight reels since joining in 2017. Six of his seven ONE victories came by stoppage, and that habit has followed him from strawweight to flyweight. Now 1-1 in the new division, he arrives at a crossroads. Another loss puts distance between him and a title run, while a convincing finish resets the conversation entirely.
Van Rooyen presents a genuine test. The 23-year-old went 7-0 and claimed the EFC Flyweight Championship before earning his spot on the global stage, and "The Jaguar" is not dismissing any of it. He has studied the tape and sees a well-rounded competitor with sharp hands and the IQ to mix levels mid-combination.
"He's quite well-rounded and also a kickboxing specialist. From what I've seen, his striking is very sharp. I noticed he also mixes things up quite well. After striking exchanges when his opponents commit, he changes levels and goes for the takedown. Technique-wise, he's good and he has a lot of bullets in his chamber. We're similar that way," he said.
Van Rooyen arrives carrying the weight of a point to prove. His promotional debut last November ended in a second-round TKO defeat to Avazbek Kholmirzaev at ONE Fight Night 37. It was the first loss of his career. Miado acknowledges the composure his opponent carries for his age but argues that composure under pressure is something you can only develop through years of high-stakes competition, and that gap belongs to him.
"To be fair, Van Rooyen is quite calm and composed. At his age, he's already that way, so I give him props for that. But I guess he's coming in with more pressure to prove himself. My experience is my biggest edge. I feel like I've faced some of the best fighters in the promotion, so that gives me a great mental boost," he said.
When the cage door closes, Miado expects the fight to be decided by who hits harder, and he has no doubt where that advantage sits.
"I hit a lot harder than him. I know I can take his shots, but let's see how he'll deal once I hit him with mine," he said.
