By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
Former ONE Fighting Championship belt holder Joshua Pacio finally got his wish as he is set for a second shot against Jarred Brooks in the upcoming ONE 166 event in Doha, Qatar, on March 1, 2024.
After losing the fight while also dropping his flyweight belt against Brooks last December 3, 2022, the Filipino fighter is eager to climb back to the top of the ONE fighting promotion.
It was a unanimous decision victory that haunted Pacio’s last outing against Brooks as he failed to anticipate the latter’s insane striking power and superb takedown prowess.
Pacio had some moments against Brooks as he was able to go toe-to-toe during their stand-up exchanges, hitting him with several hooks to the face and several leg kicks.
However, Brooks ramped his intensity up in the last two rounds and dominated Pacio to snatch away his flyweight belt.
Since losing to Brooks, Pacio only fought once last two months and scored a unanimous decision win over Mansur Malachiev.
Pacio showed an improved arsenal and was more aggressive in the takedown game, a completely different approach from his past fights.
This is also his second fight after leaving one of the best MMA stables in the Philippines, Team Lakay. Pacio then formed a new organization together with the legendary Eduard Folayang, the Lions Nation MMA.
Before forming the organization, Pacio and Folayang left the Philippines and trained in the US to absorb some modern techniques that could help their fighters.
Last March, the duo visited the Jackson Wink MMA academy, one of the most respectable gyms in the US.
The prestigious MMA gym is handled by two of the most-sought coaches in the sport, Greg Jackson and Mike Winklejohn.
