December 2 ONE Championship News Roundup

Welcome to today's edition of the daily Sportskeeda ONE Championship News Roundup, where we present the promotion's most important stories.

Today we talk about Joshua Pacio’s patient approach against Jarred Brooks, Roberto Soldic’s reason why he joined ONE Championship, and Reinier de Ridder’s take on Anatoly Malykhin's wrestling acumen.

#3. “If there’s a finish, I’ll get it” - Joshua Pacio looking to showcase his improved skills fully against Jarred Brooks

Joshua Pacio has always shown that he’s a calculated fighter inside the circle, and he plans to employ a similar style when he takes on Jarred Brooks.

The reigning ONE strawweight world champion defends his gold against Brooks in the main event of ONE 164 this Saturday, December 3, at Mall of Asia Arena in Manila.

During his appearance at JM Siasat’s Sparring Sessions, Pacio said that he won’t actively seek a finish in their world title fight.

What he’ll do, though, is just employ his game plan and capitalize on any weakness Brooks might show on the night:

“Like what I’ve said, I’m not looking for a finish or a KO or submission. I’m looking to showcase the improved, well-rounded Joshua Pacio. If there’s a finish, I’ll get it. If there’s an opportunity to finish I’ll get it.”

---

#2. “I want to create my own legacy” - Roberto Soldic says "everybody was surprised" he chose ONE Championship

Roberto Soldic was already a powerhouse even before he entered ONE Championship earlier this year, and his decision to join the organization certainly caused waves within the mixed martial arts community.

A former two-division KSW champion, Soldic was the target of the major martial arts promotions in the world - UFC. ‘Robocop’, though, chose ONE Championship as his new home.

Soldic, in an interview with ONE Championship, said his decision to join the promotion was borne out of his personal agenda and his peers’ influence:

“Everybody was surprised that I went with ONE because they expected that I would go to the UFC. But I just want to be something different. I want to create my own legacy.”

He added:

“I [know] many guys here who were in the UFC, ex-UFC fighters, and they said you do the best thing because ONE Championship is growing very fast, and they come to Europe now and America now with Amazon also, it's a big thing. This is now a world stage for me. It’s also something new for me that also motivates me for training.”

Soldic will have a chance to prove his hype when he takes on the undefeated Murad Ramazanov at ONE on Prime Video 5 this Friday, December 2 US primetime, at Mall of Asia Arena.

ONE on Prime Video 5 is available live and for free for Prime Video subscribers in North America.

---

#1. “His wrestling is not that special” - Reinier de Ridder not concerned with Anatoly Malykhin’s strength in the clinch

Anatoly Malykhin may have made a reputation as a headhunting expert, but his grappling is nothing to scoff at.

The ONE interim heavyweight world champion has a wrestling base and he’ll often use his grappling to gas out his opponents during matches.

Reinier de Ridder, however, isn’t that impressed with the Russian superstar’s technicality.

In an interview with The MMA Superfan, the two-division world champion said that Malykhin isn’t as good of a wrestler as some would believe:

“No, it's interesting, at least. In the fights with ONE, he doesn't wrestle at all, but before he used to do a one-two and then a double, and then end up in the guard. And then using the guard, he would ground and pound a bit. What I've seen from videos is that his wrestling is not that special, to be honest.”

De Ridder, who also holds the ONE middleweight world title, will defend the ONE light heavyweight world championship against Malykhin in the main event of ONE on Prime Video 5.