Jeremy Miado recalls gut-wrenching decision to be an expat fighter and leave his son behind in the Philippines

Jeremy Miado knew that he had to make sacrifices if he wanted to further develop as a martial artist, and that included leaving his son in their home country.

The Filipino standout admitted that leaving the Philippines and training full-time in Thailand was one of the hardest decisions he’s ever made in his career, especially leaving a young son behind.

In an interview with ONE Championship, Miado said that the first few months were gut-wrenching for him. The only reprieve he found was thinking that his son Tobiko would eventually appreciate the sacrifice he’s made.

Miado said:

“It’s a very hard decision to leave my son. Parents would relate to how hard it is to leave a child in order to work abroad, especially in the first month, first weeks, it was terrible. I was just thinking that it was for the future of my son. Maybe he’ll appreciate it when he grows up.”

Miado’s sacrifice, though, eventually paid off, with ‘The Jaguar’ now the fastest-rising star in the strawweight division. The 30-year-old is riding a four-fight winning streak, with all four fights ending in a knockout finish.

He could stretch that run to five straight wins if he overcomes Russian star Mansur Malachiev in his next match at ONE Fight Night 11: Eersel vs. Menshikov on Prime Video.

A win for Miado could push him into the top five of the strawweight rankings or even a shot at ONE strawweight world champion Jarred Brooks.

ONE Fight Night 11 goes down on Friday in US primetime from the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium. It will be broadcast live and free via Prime Video in North America.