At a very young age of 23, Joshua “The Passion” Pacio has emerged as one of the best that the Philippines has produced in the world of professional mixed martial arts
Though still young compared to the staples of the ONE Championship roster, Pacio has proven that he can hang with the very best – evident when he regained his World Title in amazing fashion against Yosuke “The Ninja” Saruta at ONE: ROOTS OF HONOR last 12 April.
For Pacio, what makes him successful is understanding that his dreams come with a price – and it’s a price that he continues to pay through his sacrifices everyday.
“It’s easy for a person to say that he wants to be a champion, but the moment they experience hardships, they stop. This is where our determination comes in,” said Pacio.
“We need to embrace the challenges, problems and losses, and we need to continue to train and improve, I think those are the factors why we became champions.”
Pacio had his fair share of disappointments and struggles. Since making his debut in 2016, a TKO win over Rabin Catalan at ONE: GLOBAL RIVALS – Pacio has gone 7-3 in The Home Of Martial Arts, showing that his run with ONE is far from perfect.
But the biggest example of his resolve as a warrior came when he extinguished his previous tormentor in Saruta after being outpointed by the tough Japanese warrior last January.
“I learned a lot from those losses, particularly the one last January. For me, my biggest takeaway is how I should never lose focus in anything,” Pacio explained.
“No matter how experienced your opponent is, regardless if he is older than you – you have to remain focused on your goal, trust your training, your hardwork, trust your team and your coach.”
Now that he’s back at the top once again, Pacio understands that it’s a spot that he can lose anytime. That’s why he’s always on his heels, working non-stop to make sure he stays there.
“As a champion athlete, it’s our job to always stay ahead and look for improvements,” Pacio said. “There are a lot of athletes who are looking at us as the barometer and they continue to be better each day. That’s why I always need to be better.”
