“Focused on building raw power” - Joshua Pacio looking to push the pace against Yuya Wakamatsu at ONE 173

Joshua Pacio (L) and Yuya Wakamatsu (R) | Image by ONE Championship
Joshua Pacio (left), Yuya Wakamatsu (right) [Images courtesy: ONE Championship]

ONE strawweight MMA world champion Joshua Pacio of the Philippines put a lot of thought into his preparation to conquer a second weight class.

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'The Passion' will make his debut at 135 pounds to challenge reigning ONE flyweight MMA world champion Yuya Wakamatsu at ONE 173 on Nov. 16 at Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan.

The 29-year-old from Baguio City knew he needed to alter his training approach, particularly his strength development.

Speaking to ONE Championship, Pacio revealed his intense preparations to ensure he would become the Philippines' first-ever two-division MMA world champion.

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The Lions Nation MMA representative shared:

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"I feel like I'm recovering much faster because I have more nutrients in my body. I'm eating a lot more. My strength and conditioning approach was a bit different. We really focused on building raw power for this move."

While fighting around his natural walking weight is great, Pacio admitted he still needed to get stronger to the division’s physicality.

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The dietary changes were the easy part, and the Filipino understood that it would boil down to developing the necessary conditioning program and functional power.

After all, Wakamatsu is an absolute powerhouse, and he needs to be in his absolute physical best to dethrone ‘Little Piranha’.

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Joshua Pacio says added size didn't slow him down

Another reason why Joshua Pacio was cautious with his flyweight move is that he didn't want to lose his best attribute.

'The Passion' has dominated the strawweight ranks with his dazzling speed and agility. According to Pacio, adding more muscle doesn't mean he'll slow down.

He assured that the speed will translate to his new weight class.

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"I didn't exactly bulk up too much, but I can assure you I've gotten physically stronger to be ready for this weight class," the 29-year-old told ONE Championship.

Follow Sportskeeda MMA and ONE Championship for the latest on Pacio's flyweight debut.

Follow One Championship News, Schedule & Results at Sportskeeda.

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Edited by Aziel Karthak
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