As the biggest fight of his career draws closer, there’s no doubt in the mind of ONE Strawweight World Champion Joshua “The Passion” Pacio that he’ll be heading back to the mountains in Baguio City with the belt.
Pacio defends his strap against the tough Jarred “The Monkey God” Brooks at ONE 164 this Saturday at the Mall of Asia Arena in Manila, Philippines, and he knows that he’s got so much more to show against the American wrestling machine.
Given that Pacio only needed one round to finish Yosuke Saruta in his last fight, the Team Lakay star is raring to showcase his entire arsenal against the man who everyone perceives as his toughest fight yet.
“I have tools that I haven’t shown yet. In my last outing, I wanted to show a lot of things, but the match ended quickly,” Pacio said.
“I know this is going to be a tough fight, and I’ll be able to show the new things that I’ve learned through the years.”
Perhaps the question on everyone’s mind is how will the Filipino deal with Brooks’ wrestling, something that the American has used to overwhelm his opponents.
So far, none of Brooks’ previous foes have been able to handle his wrestling, from the dynamic Lito Adiwang to the well-rounded Hiroba Minowa up to another solid wrestler in Bokang Masunyane.
Pacio is under no illusions that he’ll come in the better wrestler, but he knows that he can give Brooks problems with his unique skill set.
“Of course his wrestling will give me problems, but I’ve trained for it. We’re ready for it. But expect me to be a problem for him as well,” he said.
“I have tools that I haven’t shown yet. I know this is going to be a tough fight, and I’ll be able to show the new things that I’ve learned through the years.”
When it’s all said and then, Pacio plans to send Brooks back to the United States empty handed and prove that he’s the World Champion for a reason.
“This fight will all boil down to who wants it more. I’m the champion here, and I’ll prove that to him,” he said.
“I’m not looking for a finish. I’m not looking for a knockout or submission. I’m looking to showcase the well-improved aspects of the game. And, at the end of the day, my hand will be raised.”
Tickets for ONE Fight Night 5 and ONE 164: Pacio vs. Brooks at the Mall of Asia Arena are available at https://linktr.ee/ONEPH.
