“I feel like I’m in Manila” – Joshua Pacio amazed by outpour of support from Filipino contingent in Qatar for Jarred Brooks rematch

Former ONE strawweight MMA world champion and ex-Team Lakay member ‘The Passion’ Joshua Pacio of the Philippines is feeling confident ahead of his highly anticipated world title rematch against reigning divisional king ‘The Monkey God’ Jarred Brooks this weekend.

And that has a lot to do with the massive Filipino contingent in Qatar that the 28-year-old Baguio City native expects to come out to support him.

Pacio is set to challenge Brooks for the ONE strawweight MMA throne at ONE 166: Qatar, ONE Championship’s historic return to the Middle East.

The event broadcasts live from the Lusail Sports Arena in Lusail, Qatar on Friday, March 1.

Speaking at the official ONE 166: Qatar press conference yesterday, which took place at the Mondrian Doha Ballroom, Pacio reacted to the loudest cheers in the venue, care of his Filipino countryman.

‘The Passion’ stated:

“Honestly, I feel like I’m in Manila right now. There’s a lot of Filipinos. In every country that I compete in, there are a lot of Filipinos. You cannot remove Filipinos [anywhere]. In every country I go to, there are a lot of Filipinos supporting us. I am more motivated this time.”

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Joshua Pacio fully fixated on victory against Jarred Brooks: “You have to be laser-focused”

Joshua Pacio says he is mentally prepared for war against Jarred Brooks this weekend and that the key to victory will be staying focused on the task at hand.

The 28-year-old told a local Filipino radio station in Qatar, Qabayan Radio 94.3:

“The challenges they’re saying is always the pressure. Of course, heading into this fight you have to be laser-focused. Leave all your problems first, focus on the fight, focus on the game plan, focus on the training camp, and on the hard work you’re putting in that I and my teammates did. That’s where my focus lies right now, no other challenge, no other pressure, but just be relaxed and focused.”

ONE 166: Qatar broadcasts live on Friday, March 1, to existing Amazon Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada. Fans can catch all the action live and absolutely free. Stay tuned to Sportskeeda MMA for all the latest news and updates on ONE Championship.