Rookie Targets First Promotional Win at ONE Fight Night 41

South Africa’s Willie van Rooyen is hungry to make his mark in ONE Championship. The 23-year-old faces Filipino veteran Jeremy “The Jaguar” Miado in a flyweight MMA showdown on Friday, March 13, live in U.S. primetime from Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

The contest opens ONE Fight Night 41, a card headlined by former World Title challengers Sinsamut Klinmee and George Jarvis in a lightweight Muay Thai showdown. For Willie van Rooyen, however, the spotlight could not feel more personal – his entire focus is on writing a different story from the one his ONE debut delivered.

Miado arrives as the more experienced hand, a 16-fight ONE veteran who has finished opponents all over the world, and is equally motivated to turn his own momentum around.

Willie van Rooyen Determined to Make Statement in Return

The South African’s promotional debut in November 2025 against Uzbek sensation Avazbek Kholmirzaev ended in a first-round submission loss, a result Willie van Rooyen has clearly spent considerable time processing. The way he speaks about his return suggests a fighter who has used that setback as fuel rather than as a wound.

“My focus on this fight is just to have a good comeback because I didn’t have the best start in my debut in ONE. So, I want to make a comeback and make a statement and let the fighters know: listen, I’m not here to play around, I’m here to stay and to stand on business,” he said.

Willie van Rooyen’s style makes him a threat across all phases of a flyweight contest. His kickboxing pedigree gives him striking sharpness that most MMA fighters at this weight cannot replicate, while a surprisingly well-developed ground game ensures he is no one-dimensional puzzle for opponents to solve.

Willie van Rooyen: Young Fighter with a Point to Prove

Standing across from van Rooyen is one of the most experienced flyweights on the ONE Championship roster. Miado is a veteran who has built seven wins – six by stoppage – against some of the division’s finest fighters. His early run in the promotion hinted at a fighter capable of pushing into title contention, before a stretch of losses stalled that progress.

Willie van Rooyen, however, is not arriving simply to test himself against an experienced name. He is not looking to grind out a result, either. He wants to impress and leave Bangkok with a performance that reshapes how the division views him.

“I want to show a more aggressive, better fight than the previous one. Winning is very, very important to me. I really need to win this fight so that I can start to climb the ranks and be a ranked fighter,” Van Rooyen explained.

‘White Lion’ Willie van Rooyen Makes A Bold Prediction

Willie van Rooyen is not stepping into ONE Fight Night 41 looking to survive. He is coming to destroy. At 23, the South African already carries the self-belief of a seasoned professional, and his combination of kickboxing sharpness and a deceptively well-rounded ground game makes him a difficult read for any flyweight.

“I don’t think the fight is going to go past the second round. I think somewhere in the second round there’s going to be a stoppage,” he said.

ONE Fight Night 41 airs live on Prime Video on Friday, March 13. The action begins at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. The event is free for all Amazon Prime subscribers in the U.S. and Canada.