Jeremy Miado, right, reacts after losing to Koha Minowa by split decision in ONE Fight Night 23 in Bangkok, Thailand.–ONE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines—Lito Adiwang paid close attention to Jeremy Miado’s fight against Japan’s Hiroba Minowa at ONE Fight Night 23 on Saturday at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
His biggest takeaway from the fight was simple: Filipino MMA fighters should focus on improving their grappling.
“It’s so important that we improve our ground game to be on the same level with high-level grapplers and wrestlers,” said the 31-year-old Adiwang, who beat Miado in their rematch back in November 2023, in Filipino.
READ: ONE: Jeremy Miado braces for ‘young, hungry’ Japanese foe
“We need to constantly improve, not just to hang with them but to also be on that same high level. We have to step up our game to stand out and be dominant.”
Miado lost to Minowa via split decision that saw his record drop to 12-8.
The 31-year-old Miado was the better striker but he just couldn’t defend against Minowa’s takedown attempts.
Miado lost for the fourth consecutive time and if there’s one thing that he needs to focus on to get back on the winning track, it’s his grappling.
“For me, he needs to make a sacrifice and get out of his comfort zone and try to cross train with higher level wrestlers and grapplers. He’s already a good striker so he just needs to add to his grappling, scrambles and defense to be able to hang up with the elites,” Adiwang said.