Joshua Pacio hopeful two Filipino prospects will make it big in ONE Championship: "They'll reach a new level"

Joshua Pacio believes Filipino prospects Jayson Miralpez and Marwin Quirante possess the talent necessary to become major forces in ONE Championship's competitive landscape.

The 29-year-old reigning ONE strawweight MMA world champion has been impressed by the development of his younger countrymen on ONE Friday Fights, seeing similarities to his own journey through the promotion's ranks.

"If they continue to develop, Jayson Miralpez and Marwin Quirante have the potential. When I was 19 to 23 years old, I wasn't as good as them," Joshua Pacio told ONE Championship. "So, if they just continue to work, they'll reach a new level."

The Lions Nation MMA athlete's endorsement carries significant weight given his status as one of the Philippines' most accomplished mixed martial artists.

His humble comparison to his abilities at that age demonstrates the high regard he holds for both prospects' current skill levels and future potential.

Miralpez, who fights out of Warriors MMA Academy, has won two matches in succession on the organization's weekly spectacle inside the Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

After dropping a unanimous decision to Robson de Oliveira in his debut last November, the 21-year-old knocked out Ryuya Hatakeyama and Yeerzati Gemingnuer in 2025.

Quirante, on the other hand, has also acquired both his triumphs inside the distance.

The AJJ Sprawl and KROC Sports product registered a TKO over Phan Thanh Tung in his promotional bow at ONE Friday Fights 84 last October. A month later, he submitted Musa Musazade.

Unfortunately, 'Green Goblin' was handed a taste of his own medicine in his last outing this past May, where Torepchi Dongak claimed a first-round TKO win over him.

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Joshua Pacio bids for two-division supremacy next

On his end, Joshua Pacio's return to the Circle has been locked in. The 30-year-old Filipino warrior squares off against Yuya Wakamatsu at ONE 173 inside Tokyo's Ariake Arena on Sunday, November 16.

'The Passion' will attempt to write a new chapter in his glorious career as he attempts to unseat the Japanese fighter from his ONE flyweight MMA world championship throne.

On Wakamatsu's end, the defending king is determined to give it everything he's got to pass the first test of his time at the top and cancel Pacio's dream of two-division glory.

Tickets for ONE 173: Superbon vs. Noiri are available for purchase here.