By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
After his ONE Championship defeat to Filipino MMA Sensation Joshua Pacio, the former ONE strawweight champion Alex Silva couldn’t say enough of the young kid.
Pacio outlasted the veteran Silva in the main event of ONE Championship Fire and Fury, putting on a striking clinic against the more experienced Silva.
Also, Silva was the last former champion Pacio was not able to face. The main event did not disappoint as the crowd was on their feet throughout the match.
“Oh yeah, he is one of the toughest guys I have fought. This is the third time I went to five rounds and he is still striking. When I took him down, I have to keep him down with my hands,” said Silva.
Pacio never gave Silva a chance to fully operate his ground game as the 24-year old champion maintained his distance and made it a striking game, exposing Silva’s weakness in a stand-up fight.
Silva managed a couple takedowns but was unable to keep the fast-moving Pacio on the ground.