'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
ONE Championship’s decision to end the 2022 calendar year with ONE 164 might just be one of its most ingenious ideas yet.
Hyped up to near astronomic levels, the match between ONE strawweight world champion Joshua Pacio and No.1-ranked contender Jarred Brooks is a main event worthy of closing out a landmark year for the organization.
Pacio is considered the greatest male strawweight fighter in ONE Championship history and could bolster that distinction if he takes an all-important win over Brooks.
‘The Monkey God’, however, is a force of his own. Rampaging through the division since his arrival in 2021, Brooks made it known that his goal is to snatch the gold away from Pacio’s hands.
With so much buildup, it can be argued that Pacio and Brooks’ ONE 164 match on December 3, Saturday, at Mall of Asia Arena will be one of the greatest fights in the promotion’s history.
That said, Sportskeeda MMA’s ONE Championship team will try to predict the outcome of the historic match between Joshua Pacio and Jarred Brooks at ONE 164.
Ben Imperial: Joshua Pacio via fourth-round TKO
As a Filipino, I feel compelled to pick Joshua Pacio to win in Manila at ONE 164. I understand how tough that challenge can be, especially with a fighter with as much skill and momentum as Jarred Brooks. However, we've seen Joshua endure crazy submission attempts in the past, and I think that's not going to change in this matchup.
While he's not a challenger in this fight, I think he'll be hungrier to get a win simply because of how long he had to wait just to fight again. The man's competitiveness is unrivaled. And considering all the trash talk he's had to endure all this time, I think he'll have more pent-up aggression to release on fight night.
This is not a fight that ends early. Jarred Brooks will dominate at the start of this fight, and when the American feels comfortable having his way, he'll get caught in a bad situation - probably a spinning back fist out of nowhere that rocks him, with Pacio capitalizing and finishing this match with relentless ground-and-pound.
Ted Razon: Jarred Brooks via unanimous decision
I’m really torn between these two since I can envision either of them imposing their game plan and getting their hand raised at the end of ONE 164. After all, Joshua Pacio and Jarred Brooks have been training for one another for quite some time.
The moment of truth is finally here, and sadly, I think we’re going to have a new ONE strawweight world champion.
As much as I would love to see Pacio retain his crown in front of the home crowd — and shut Brooks up in the process — I think the challenger is going to walk the talk.
I’m going with my gut and saying the American’s elite grappling skills will serve as the ultimate equalizer for this match.
‘The Passion’ can definitely catch Brooks with one of those patented crazy strikes of his, and I foresee that happening early in their fight at ONE 164. Then again, ‘The Monkey God’ can always use his wrestling to neutralize those strikes, which is something he used quite successfully against Lito Adiwang.
I see Brooks slowing the pace down of the fight each time he gets tagged and controlling the world champion on the ground. I’m going with Brooks via unanimous decision.
Vince Richards: Joshua Pacio via fifth-round KO
This fight is, what those who prefer to keep it short would say, a proper one.
Joshua Pacio’s world title defense against Jarred Brooks at ONE 164 could very well present a seismic shift in ONE Championship’s annals.
On the one hand, you have Pacio’s continuing his dominance and establishing his claim as the undisputed greatest male strawweight in ONE Championship.
The other side of the equation, however, presents Brooks in his element. The brash American challenger is coming into Pacio’s home country ready to wreak havoc and break the hearts of millions of Filipinos.
While the outside drama is at a fever pitch, the action inside the circle is sure to deliver on the hype that it promised.
The main event of ONE 164 presents the classic striker vs. grappler pairing and while that rings true, there are also convoluted layers between Pacio and Brooks. Pacio, just like the rest of Team Lakay, has a wushu base but the Filipino star owns four submission wins in ONE Championship.
Brooks, meanwhile, started his martial arts journey as a wrestler but he’s shown that he’s fully capable of throwing hands if he wants. ‘The Monkey God’ showed in all three of his fights in the circle that he can strike with the best of them.
This fight has all the makings of being an instant classic where one significant strike can change the outcome in one swoop, and if that does happen then Pacio has ONE 164 in the bag.
