“It's a lot easier to manipulate him” – Jarred Brooks breaks down why Joshua Pacio found success against Mansur Malachiev

In the time between his first fight with Joshua Pacio and his upcoming rematch, Jarred Brooks watched his strawweight rival go and secure a win.

Pacio rebounded from losing his world title at ONE 164 in 2022 by getting back in the win column last year to solidify his status as the number one contender for the world championship.

‘The Passion’ met Mansur Malachiev at ONE Fight Night 15 where he handed the undefeated contender his first loss via decision.

Brooks gave his thoughts on the fight ahead of his rematch with Pacio at ONE 166: Qatar, and spoke on whether he was impressed by what he saw from his former foe.

‘The Monkey God’ told ONE Championship that ultimately, styles make fights and this was the case in Pacio’s last contest with Malachiev:

“I think that Joshua did the same with me and his approach against Mansur. But Mansur is more feet in the sand, walking like a zombie towards you, kind of fighter. So it's a lot easier to manipulate him with leg kicks and to stop his shots. When there's not too much movement going on, Joshua has always had good takedown defense.”

Jarred Brooks expects a different approach from Joshua Pacio

This style that Jarred Brooks spoke about when referring to Joshua Pacio was both a help and a hindrance for ‘The Passion’ at ONE 164.

His sturdy movement allowed him to maintain his takedown defense for the majority of the contest but it also didn’t allow him to open up and capitalize on the striking exchanges.

Jarred Brooks believes that his opponent will be less regimented this time around which might end up playing into the defending champion’s hands.

With his improved striking and adjustments he has been making to his grappling, the ONE strawweight MMA world champion is confident of keeping hold of his title wherever the fight goes.

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