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Russian mixed martial arts star Mansur Malachiev believes he defeated Filipino Joshua Pacio in their first encounter two years ago and that he considers himself the top man in the strawweight MMA division.
He moved to highlight it following his impressive victory at ONE Fight Night 36: Prajanchai vs. Di Bella II on Oct. 3 at the Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. He won by submission (north-south choke) in the second round over American Jarred Brooks in a flyweight joust.
In a post-fight interview with combat sports journalist Nick Atkin, Mansur Malachiev looked back at his first showdown with Pacio, asserting that he won the fight while angling for a possible rematch with the now-reigning ONE strawweight MMA world champion.
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The 33-year-old Dagestan-born fighter said:
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"I think if anyone were to rewatch that fight, they would agree with me that I shouldn’t have lost. But, you know, it’s the judge’s decision, and I can’t really say anything. But I’m still… I defeated Joshua, I defeated Brooks. I don’t have the belt, but I’m still my people’s champion."
Check out what he had to say below:
Malachiev faced Pacio in a strawweight MMA match in October 2023 at ONE Night Fight 15. He took 'The Passion' to the limit, banking on his expert ground game. But the Lions Nation MMA standout was able to dig deep in their intense back-and-forth and did enough to score a unanimous decision win.
The loss was the first for Malachiev in his professional career. He, however, has bounced back from it, winning his last three matches in ONE Championship to take his record in the promotion to 4-1, and 14-1 overall.
Mansur Malachiev makes strong case for Joshua Pacio rematch with impressive win at ONE Fight Night 36
Mansur Malachiev's impressive submission win at ONE Fight Night 36 only made his case for a possible rematch with strawweight king Joshua Pacio stronger.
The No. 2 contender in the strawweight lane underscored that he was deserving of another crack at Pacio for the division's world title by dominating Jarred Brooks, the top strawweight contender, in their high-stakes encounter.
Mansur Malachiev was on top of things right at the onset at ONE Fight Night 36, completing a double leg takedown early and kept the pressure on his opponent.
While Brooks survived the assault for the duration of the first round, he eventually fell to Malachiev when the latter found an angle midway in the succeeding round to execute a choke and went for the finish.
He is now monitoring how Pacio will perform in his scheduled match later this year and looking to take on the Filipino champion thereafter.
The full replay of ONE Fight Night 36 is available on demand to Prime Video subscribers in North America.
