Filipino fighter Jeremy Miado kept his full attention to Japanese foe Senzo Ikeda when they clash in ONE: Heavy Hitters at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on Jan. 14.
Should he win against Ikeda though, Miado expressed interest in facing No. 4 contender Hiroba Minowa to make it into the Top 5 and soon pave the way for a title shot.
"Nakakadalawang sunod na siyang Top 5 'yong natalo niya so mas maganda po sa pangalan ko 'pag natalo ko po siya (Even though he lost against both Top 5 fighters, it would be good for my name to face fighter his caliber)," said Miado, who improved to a 10-4 record after beating Miao Li Tao of China anew.
READ: With boosted confidence, Miado eager to start 2022 on high note vs Japanese foe
Minowa will also face a hurdle of his own against No. 3 and ONE rising star Jarred Brooks, who made an early impact in the promotion by submitting Team Lakay stalwart Lito Adiwang last December.
Minowa and Brooks will lock horns on Jan. 28 in ONE: Only the Brave.
Against Ikeda though, Miado said there is no room for complacency and lauded the Japanese for his tenacity and aggressive style.
"Malakas po 'yong mga nakalaban niya tapos pansin ko po sa kanya ma-pressure. Kahit si Kingad medyo nahirapan sa kanya kasi 'yong pressure forward lang po siya nang forward (He faced strong opponents before and I noticed that he puts pressure on his opponents. Even Kingad was not able to fend him off easily because of his pressure moving forward)," added the Marrok Force fighter. "Sa laban inaasan ko po 'yong cardio niya malakas (I expect that his cardio would be strong and well-conditioned)."
Ikeda, for his part, ended his losing skid after scoring a unanimous decision win against Hui Liang last December to climb at 12-6-1 win-loss-draw record.
Prior to that, he lost both against Team Lakay fighters Kingad and Adiwang in 2019.