"I'll be able to finish him" - Yosuke Saruta confident of KO in third meeting with Joshua Pacio

Yosuke Saruta and Joshua Pacio finally have a chance to end their rivalry. The two top strawweights are heading into their third fight. At this point, they are both very familiar with one another's style.

Yosuke Saruta and Pacio first met in the Circle in 2019, with the Japanese fighter taking home a close split decision. They had a rematch several months later, with Pacio returning the favor and winning by knockout.

They now meet once more at ONE Championship: Revolution, which broadcasts live from the Singapore Indoor Stadium this Friday, September 24.

Yosuke Saruta, who is ranked number one at strawweight, knows what to expect from the young Team Lakay standout and reigning ONE strawweight champion:

“Basically, Joshua, it’s very obvious that he has good striking, especially his spinning kicks. They are really powerful. He can KO you in one kick. That's one thing I need to avoid,” said Yosuke Saruta, who has gone 2-0 since his loss to Pacio.

“I don’t know who’s going to be having some mental issues but that’s definitely going to be the part that is going to decide who’s going to win or not. It's going to be a mental fight.”

Yosuke Saruta maintains that it's nothing personal with Pacio. Having competed in fights in the Circle with him, the 34-year-old says he respects Pacio's skills and what he has accomplished in his young career.

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Yosuke Saruta warns Joshua Pacio of tough fight

However, when that Circle door closes, Yosuke Saruta says all respect goes out the window. Instead, he's thrown out a stern warning to the Filipino, that the toughest fight between them is yet to come:

“There’s nothing much I want to say to Joshua, but I’ll tell him that it’s going to be a tough battle for both of us just get ready for it,” Yosuke Saruta said.

“It’s going to be a tough fight, it’s my mission.”

Yosuke Saruta has succeeded against Pacio in the past but believes he has now improved beyond their second meeting over two years ago. While he can't go into the specifics, Yosuke Saruta says he's planning a surprise for the Filipino:

“I can’t go into detail, but in the Circle, I’ll be showing some new stuff. It’s going to be super surprising for the fans all around the world,” Yosuke Saruta said.

“Basically what I’m going to do is, I’ll be very aggressive, more aggressive than the past two bouts. And also, I will try to do things that Joshua will not like, give him some stress throughout the bout. If I do that, there’s a clear image inside me. If I do that in the 4th or 5th round, I’ll be able to finish him.”

ONE Championship: Revolution broadcasts live from the Singapore Indoor Stadium on Friday, September 24. Christian ‘The Warrior’ Lee defends his ONE lightweight world title against No.3-ranked lightweight Ok Rae Yoon in the main event.