Joshua Pacio and Jarred Brooks duel once again for the ONE Strawweight MMA World Championship.
It’s go-time for the main protagonists of the strawweight division.
Filipino MMA ace
Joshua “The Passion” Pacio looks to return to the Philippines with the ONE Strawweight MMA World Title hoisted over his shoulder after he challenges
Jarred “The Monkey God” Brooks at ONE 166: Qatar tonight inside Lusail Sports Arena.
Pacio understands the magnitude of this bout, especially with the number of fans – both Filipinos and foreign – who’ve showered him with love ever since he stepped foot in the beautiful country of Qatar.
“Being one of the athletes in ONE Championship makes me so proud that I belong to the greatest and largest martial arts organization in the world,” Pacio said in the ONE 166 pre-fight press conference.
“Competing here, I believe God put me on this platform to inspire the next generation,” he added. “If you have dreams, go chase them. The Filipinos can expect that I will bring home the gold belt this Friday.”
Pacio’s certainly feeling the expectations with the number of Filipinos who came in droves to show support at the press conference and open workout.
In fact, all the love makes him feel like he’ll have the home advantage the moment he enters Lusail Sports Arena Friday.
“Honestly, I feel like I’m in Manila right now. There’s a lot of Filipinos,” Pacio said.
“In every country that I compete in, there are a lot of Filipinos. You cannot remove Filipinos [anywhere]. In every country I go to, there are a lot of Filipinos supporting us. I am more motivated this time.”
For Brooks, the support Pacio has been getting only fires him up even more. He feels like he’s the one who should be getting recognition in the division – not Pacio, not anyone else.
“People are underestimating my hunger and my goals in ONE Championship. Now, I’m here to show Joshua Pacio who is the best. I want to knock him out and I want to finish him,” Brooks said.
“I’m gonna finish him this time. It doesn’t matter, at the end of the day, Filipino or not, I will make you guys love me, period.”