"My head hurts" - Fans feel the power Joshua Pacio had in his nasty one-strike KO of his old rival in front of his home fans

Yosuke Saruta (left), Joshua (right) [Photo via ONE Championship]
Yosuke Saruta (left), Joshua (right) [Photo via ONE Championship]

Joshua Pacio has racked up an impressive collection of victories under the ONE Championship banner, but one that continues to stand out is his emphatic redemption against Yosuke Saruta more than six years ago.

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After a controversial decision loss that cost him the ONE strawweight MMA world title earlier that year, Pacio was granted a chance to avenge the defeat in a much-anticipated rematch in April 2019. This bout served as the co-main event of ONE: Roots of Honor, staged before a roaring, pro-Filipino crowd at the 20,000-capacity Mall of Asia Arena in Manila, Philippines.

True to his nickname, "The Passion" delivered a sensational performance, reclaiming the belt in highlight-reel fashion with a stunning knockout.

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Although he endured an early scare from a first-round knockdown, Pacio gradually found his rhythm and began landing with precision as the fight progressed.

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In the fourth round, Pacio sealed the deal with a perfectly-timed high kick, using the lower part of his knee to render Saruta unconscious upon impact.

Check out the clip below:

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Recently, as the promotion shared a slow-motion and detailed replay of the knockout on Instagram, fans were once again in awe of Pacio's flawless technique and match-ending ability.

Read the comments below:

Comments from Instagram
Comments from Instagram

Pacio closed the book on his rivalry with Saruta at ONE: Revolution in September 2021, making quick work of "The Ninja" with a first-round technical knockout.

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Joshua Pacio continues to reign as strawweight MMA king

Joshua Pacio left no doubt that he is the one true king of ONE Championship's strawweight MMA division when he convincingly toppled American arch-nemesis Jarred Brook in their world title unification rubber match at ONE 171 this past February.

After overcoming a tough predicament at the hands of Brook in the opening salvo, Pacio turned the tide in the second round with a series of overwhelming ground-and-pound to pick up a shocking stoppage victory to become the undisputed ONE strawweight MMA world champion.

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Edited by Tejas Rathi
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