“Something will change” – Lito Adiwang says Joshua Pacio will be more prepared for Jarred Brooks’ grappling in their rematch

ONE strawweight MMA contender Lito Adiwang is quite familiar with ONE 166 combatants Joshua Pacio and Jarred Brooks.

‘Thunder Kid’ used to train every day with Pacio during their days as stablemates with Team Lakay. On the other hand, Adiwang also shared the Circle with the division’s top dog Brooks back in 2021.

Given his connection with both warriors, Adiwang will certainly keep an eye on Pacio and Brooks’ upcoming rematch at ONE 166: Qatar on March 1.

The victor of this high-stakes encounter will be leaving Lusail Sports Arena as the undisputed ONE strawweight MMA world champion.

Lito Adiwang witnessed the end of Pacio’s longtime reign as the king of the 125-pound division after Brooks took away his crown in Manila at ONE 164 in 2022.

While ‘The Passion’ got his licks in throughout their 25-minute war, he had no answer for Brooks’ stifling wrestling pedigree.

As a result, the offensive-minded Pacio was unable to unleash his fearsome striking and was forced to fight off his back for the majority of the bout.

Adiwang, though, believes lightning won’t strike twice. He believes Pacio already has the answer to ‘The Monkey God’s overwhelming pressure.

The Filipino dynamo told ONE:

“I think [the grappling] is something that will change now entering this fight. Of course, they’ll try to stop Jarred’s wrestling, but if that’s not the case, Joshua can scramble on the ground, maybe find a submission, or force a stand-up.”

Rewatch Joshua Pacio and Jarred Brooks’ first encounter:

ONE 166: Qatar will air live on March 1 via global pay-per-view on watch.onefc.com.

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Lito Adiwang can make his case for a title shot if he beats Danial Williams

While Lito Adiwang will fully support Pacio against Brooks, he’ll have his own business to tend to first.

‘Thunder Kid’ will make his first appearance of 2024 against the equally electric Danial Williams at ONE Fight Night 19 inside Bangkok’s Lumpinee Stadium this coming Friday.

Winning his last two bouts since returning from an ACL injury, the 30-year-old wants to keep his momentum going and re-enter the division’s top 5 by beating ‘Mini T’.

ONE Fight Night 19 will air live on US Primetime on February 16, free of charge for existing Prime Video subscribers in North America