ONE Championship ONE Championship Reigning ONE Strawweight MMA World Champion Joshua “The Passion” Pacio will be fighting with a chip on his shoulder when he squares off with interim titleholder Jarred “The Monkey God” Brooks in the main event of ONE 171: Qatar.
That hotly anticipated World Title unification clash is set for Lusail Sports Arena on Thursday, February 20, and it will mark the third meeting between the planet’s best strawweight mixed martial artists.
nolimit cityThe rivals first collided in December 2022 when the outspoken Brooks employed a blend of elite wrestling and speedy striking to score a unanimous decision win and wrest the strawweight MMA crown from the Filipino star.
They would fight again in March 2024 at ONE 166 – ONE’s debut event in Qatar. That night, the American landed an illegal slam in the bout’s opening minute, bringing an unfortunate end to the rematch and handing Pacio the World Title by way of disqualification.
“The Monkey God” subsequently bounced back to the win column, submitting former Olympic wrestler Gustavo “El Gladiador” Balart to claim the ONE Interim Strawweight MMA World Title.
Now, as Pacio prepares for this massive World Title trilogy fight, he’s looking back at their first encounter for lessons to be learned.
He told onefc.com that he put too much emphasis on defending his foe’s trademark takedowns and not enough on producing his own offense:
“My error in that fight was just focusing on defense. I was too worried about getting taken down, and I got stagnant. I wasn’t moving. I was waiting for an opening, and that’s my error. That’s why he was able to land those clean shots. Credit to him because his footwork and movement really frustrated me.”
After a goalless first quarter, Korea struck just 36 seconds into the second quarter with Jungjun Lee finding the net due to a mistake from Pakistan goalkeeper Abdullah Ishtiyaq Khan. The goal remained the difference between the two teams till the half-time.
Indeed, many fans were surprised to see a wrestler like Brooks outstrike a talented stand-up artist like Pacio.
That loss has motivated “The Passion” to showcase a more aggressive and fearless approach at ONE 171.
To that end, he’s drawing inspiration from former ONE Flyweight MMA World Champion and all-time great Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson, who consistently beat opponents at their own games over the course of his decorated career.
Pacio explained:
“The thing that I want to show is a fighter who isn’t scared of what’s gonna happen in the ring. A fighter who isn’t scared to get taken down. A fighter who isn’t scared to get put in a precarious position on the ground. I want to show that I know what to do now.
“I want to show I have answers, that I’m not just gonna rely on my takedown defense to stop him, but I can battle him on the ground, even on my back. I want to show that he’s not just the one who’s a threat in wrestling. Maybe I’ll take him down, as well. Like DJ. That ‘Mighty Mouse’ mentality.”
With that new attitude and a point to prove, Pacio sounds eager to put on the finest performance of his 12-year, 26-fight professional career.
He’s not about to guarantee a quick knockout or an early submission, but he can promise one thing: entertainment:
“I can’t predict this fight. I don’t like predicting. But this will be explosive. No one’s gonna back down. I won’t, and I don’t expect him to.
“And Jarred, I’m excited to see you again. Let’s put on a great show for the fight fans.”
Joshua Pacio finds himself in a unique position ahead of his World Title unification showdown against Jarred Brooks. Although he’s the reigning titleholder, he’ll come into the contest as the underdog, with many fans and pundits picking Brooks to become the undisputed king.
Pacio, however, is no stranger to high-stakes rematches and trilogy fights, coming out on top in a rematch with Yoshitaka Naito and a rubber match with Yosuke Saruta – both former ONE Strawweight MMA World Champions.
He said that being an underdog doesn’t bother him in the slightest:
“I don’t mind. That’s my mentality in this camp. I am the underdog. It fires me up during training. It gives me more motivation to defend this belt.
“For me, I’m just so happy to be able to compete in this competition, with the level getting higher and higher every time. From my rematch with Naito to my trilogy with Saruta, to now with Brooks, I can say this is an entirely different level.”
Ultimately, “The Passion” is excited to have another crack at his rival.
He thrives in rematches, he said, and views his battle with Brooks as another opportunity to push himself to new heights:
“I don’t allow myself to get stagnant. I have to get better with each fight. Entering my second fight, I have to be better than my first. In the third, I have to be better than the first two. My mentality during trilogies is to improve more than my opponent in that stretch.”
Sourcejilibet