“His IQ is different” - Joshua Pacio credits Jarred Brooks for making him a better fighter

Despite the tension between the two men in their first meeting and upcoming rematch at ONE 166, Joshua Pacio has respect for Jarred Brooks.

The two men are set to meet for a second time on March 1 at the Lusail Sports Arena in Qatar to kick off round six between the two top strawweights.

Looking to avenge his loss and reclaim the strawweight gold, Pacio believes that he is coming into this fight better than ever, having rebounded from his loss at ONE 164.

‘The Passion’ doesn’t see eye to eye with everything about his opponent but he isn’t afraid to give him credit for his skills as a mixed martial artist.

Joshua Pacio gave Brooks some props during a fight week interview with Sportskeeda MMA, where he said that his respect for his opponent has pushed him further than before:

“I respect him a lot. I respect his skills. He's very strong, very talented, his IQ is different, so that's why that's one of my motivations to level up. That's one of my main motivations to train harder and that's what I did for one year, you know, going up to this rematch.”

Watch the full interview below:

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Jarred Brooks and Joshua Pacio have made each other better

There’s a recurring theme in combat sports that a great fighter often needs a great rival in order to reach their true potential. That can certainly be said for Joshua Pacio and Jarred Brooks.

The two men have beaten the majority of the top strawweight contenders between them, leaving just them at the very peak of the division.

Their first fight and subsequent rematch will have forced both men to up their levels in order to produce the best versions of themselves on fight night.

Whether this motivation will be enough to see Pacio reclaim the throne is yet to be seen but we are now just a few more sleeps away from finally finding out.

ONE 166: Qatar will air live and free via Prime Video for North American viewers with an active subscription on March 1.