Joshua Pacio once stood atop the ONE Championship strawweight division. However, American Jarred Brooks stormed through to crash the party and take his crown.
After getting back in the win column in 2023, Pacio earned a rematch against “The Monkey God” and the ONE Strawweight MMA World Championship at ONE 166: Qatar on Friday, March 1.
“I lost in a fight where I didn’t showcase my absolute best. That disappointment lingered within me for a long time,” Pacio told ONE.
“Now, I’m turning that disappointment into my fuel for this fight. I know the lapses I committed in the first fight, and in the rematch, I will aim to rectify them.”
In the first meeting, Brooks’ wrestling took control of the match against the Filipino. Back in the gym, “The Passion” is taking the lessons from the first match and applying them in order to get back on the throne.
“This is mixed martial arts. It’s either you will get hit or you will get taken down. This camp has taught me to have the proper mindset. If I am one of the best in the world, I should fight like it,” the former strawweight champion stated.
“That’s the goal of this training camp – to fight with no hesitation. In this rematch, I must fight the way I really fight.”
“I see two [possible outcomes]: It’s either I win by knockout or I win by decision. Jarred Brooks is no pushover. He can strike and he can wrestle. But I’m prepared wherever the fight goes.”
While many may expect the Lions Nations MMA star to focus on his takedown defense or Brooks specifically, it is actually the mental mindset that Pacio puts at the forefront of his preparation.
Pacio believes confidence and comfortability will play a huge role in how the match plays out.
“When you’re preparing for a bout with this kind of magnitude, you must be 100 percent ready physically, mentally, spiritually, and emotionally,” Pacio explained.
“First of all, as an athlete, you have to feel at home. When you’re confident and happy in your environment, it will bring out the best in an athlete. And I can honestly say that’s what I’m feeling right now. All of that can be attributed to the support I’m getting here at Lions Nation MMA.”
On top of the mental preparation and technical improvements, Pacio is making sure his body is peaking at the right time. For ONE 166, “The Passion” has improved his diet and focused on his strength and conditioning.
Pacio is leaving no stone unturned for his second meeting against his American rival.
“I’m blessed because I’m having the proper preparation, from the fight itself to strength and conditioning, and even the nutrition,” Pacio said.
“For this training camp, we’ve got all the help I need to monitor my progress. We have a legitimate strength and conditioning coach, Kuya Vince [Loman], who has really focused on enhancing my explosiveness and speed.”
“In the grappling aspect, of course, Professor Gibran Langbayan is here to help. Plus, he brought his younger brother, Godwin, with him. Godwin is one of the best jiu-jitsu practitioners in the Philippines and is part of the national sambo team.”
“In terms of the fight itself, we’ve done a lot of simulations to have a real feel of all the possibilities that could happen in the fight.”
ONE 166 airs live on Friday, March 1, from Qatar. The action gets underway at 7:30 a.m. EST/4:30 a.m. PST.