Doha, Qatar: ONE Strawweight MMA World Champion Joshua Pacio wowed fans inside Lusail Sports Arena at ONE 171: Qatar to unify the division’s gold.
The Filipino superstar showcased an incredible second-round TKO comeback to stop interim titleholder Jarred Brooks in the evening’s main event on Thursday, February 20, capping off the incredible card in dramatic fashion.
When “The Passion” enters an arena anywhere in the world, his fanbase always walks beside him. Pacio was 4,500 miles from his native homeland of Manila, Philippines.But the raucous cry of travelling fans had him feeling like he was in his own backyard.
Coming up against Brooks in their trilogy, that support made him feel bulletproof. In fact, once the bell sounded and his strikes began to land, Pacio sensed he had the power advantage over his American nemesis.
“The energy was like in Manila, honestly. But I was very focused on the fight. I was ready to go full five rounds. I was not looking for a finish. I was looking to dominate. Honestly, the first connection, the first hook that I threw, it landed on his nose, and I saw his eyes move, he was afraid,” Pacio said.
“I knew that he was afraid, and he was gonna take the fight to the ground, and that's what he did. But in the second round, I knew I was gonna control him.”
It has been nearly a decade since Pacio debuted in ONE Championship. When he entered the organization, he was a surging star with an MMA record of 9-0.
Almost 10 years on and entering his seventh World Title reign, Pacio has evolved from a surging star to one of the world’s best athletes – and he’s learned a lot along the way.
One of those lessons was that if he wanted to become the best, he had to become well acquainted with pressure.
It goes without saying that Brooks has always brought that pressure unto him in their battles. But where others would’ve folded, Pacio thrived. And that’s the lesson that helped him rally back to an incredible second-round finish at ONE 171: Qatar.
“The pressure is my friend. You need to be friends with the pressure. I'm used to it,” Pacio said.
“Ten years in ONE Championship, I didn't expect it. I was 19 years old, and now I'm 29 so I'm used to it.”
When Brooks defeated Pacio in their first meeting in December 2022 at ONE 164, many believed it was the dawning of a new era, an all-American era.
The stands of Lusail Sports Arena were electrified as Filipino champion Joshua Pacio secured a second consecutive victory against Jarred Brooks, taking the title back home to the Philippines!#Qatar #Doha #ONE #one171 #one171qatar #JoshuaPacio #Philippines #onechampionship pic.twitter.com/HtSqSWrOUw
— The Peninsula Qatar (@PeninsulaQatar) February 20, 2025
Then when he earned the belt back last March at ONE 166 by disqualification, “The Passion” felt the rumblings of his detractors. He heard the claims that his time had come and gone. But he refused to feed it any attention.
So in their third chapter at ONE 171: Qatar, not only was Pacio motivated to silence the brash American, he also wanted to remind the critics who had written him off that he was back and better than ever.
“It's just a release for me because there are a lot of people talking behind me, doubting me, [saying] you can't do it, you can't do it,” Pacio said.
“At the end of the day, I'm just very focused on winning and training. I've been through a lot because of the injuries, but it's just a relief. There's so much joy and happiness. That's it.”
