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Former ONE strawweight MMA world champion Joshua Pacio is intent on regaining his throne as he faces Jarred Brooks in a rematch for the belt at ONE 166: Qatar on March 1st. The bout will be one of five world title matches happening in ONE Championship's inaugural live event in the Middle East.
'The Passion', as his fans would call him, earned his shot at the man who took his world title when he outfought and outlasted Mansur Malachiev in a closely contested bout at ONE Fight Night 15 last October.
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It was a rather difficult contest for the Filipino striker as he had to weather a lot of heavy wrestling and grappling by Malachiev. However, when the final bell rang, the judges saw the fight going his way via a unanimous decision.
Speaking to The MMA Superfan on YouTube, Joshua Pacio said of the Malchiev fight:
“As for my last fight with Mansur Malachiev, I came in with the mentality that I had to prove I deserved a spot to be the number one contender for Brooks. I knew that fight was not going to be easy. I earn that and I deserve the title shot. If Malachiev won, I’m sure he would have been the one to challenge the champion.”
Watch the full interview here:
Joshua Pacio plans to showcase better footwork in rematch with Jarred Brooks
At ONE 164 in December 2022, Joshua Pacio dropped the ONE strawweight MMA world title to Jarred Brooks in a lackluster performance. One of the things 'The Passion' thought he could have done better was his footwork.
He told The MMA Superfan:
“I admit, I was more stagnant in that match than I usually am. Brooks predicted that I’ll just keep moving around in the rematch and I’ll show him my improved footwork.”
Having better footwork can help Pacio make Brooks second-guess his attacks. This can also allow the Filipino striker to negate the powerful wrestling of 'The Monkey God' and create space to showcase his striking prowess.
ONE 166: Qatar will be available via global pay-per-view at watch.onefc.com.
