Joshua Pacio says strawweight top-five on his radar after Mansur Malachiev fight: “Let’s get it on”

Joshua Pacio kickstarts the comeback trail to try and reclaim what was once his at ONE Fight Night 15 this week.

Having lost and reclaimed the ONE strawweight world championship in the past, the 27-year-old former champion knows what it takes to keep climbing back up a mountain filled with hurdles.

Suffering a defeat to Jarred Brooks at the end of last year, ‘The Passion’ is now back embracing the role of the hunter rather than the hunted.

This Friday, October 6, he takes on undefeated Russian contender Mansur Malachiev, who has provided some fresh blood at the top of the division after his submission victory against Jeremy Miado on his debut.

With a second consecutive victory under the ONE Championship banner against the former champion, Malachiev will be able to cement himself as the number one contender at strawweight.

Looking to prove that he hasn’t lost a step, Pacio is looking to stand his ground in what would be his first appearance inside the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

Not only is the former champion ready to prove that he is still deserving of his spot at the pinnacle of the division, but the top-ranked fighter is motivated to test himself against any of the other top contenders.

After Brooks ran through many of the top contenders on his way to defeating Pacio at ONE 164, there are multiple contenders who would jump at the chance to test themselves against the former world champion.

In an interview with ONE Championship, Joshua Pacio spoke about his plan to build up his momentum and prove once and for all that he is deserving of a rematch with ‘The Monkey God’:

“I am willing to fight anyone in the top five, and with Mansur being in the top five, I’m gonna fight him."

He added:

“I’m okay with Gustavo Balart, I’m okay with Hiroba Minowa, and I would’ve wanted to face Bokang Masunyane, but it’s Mansur who took the fight, so let’s get it on.”

ONE Fight Night 15 will air live and free in U.S. primetime for North American viewers with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.