MMA : Pacio-Brooks an epic World Title trilogy fight on Thursday

It's now or never for ONE strawweight MMA world champion and the pride of the Philippines, Joshua “The Passion” Pacio.

The Filipino mixed martial artist is now in the midst of showing the world that he is better than rival Jarred “The Monkey God” Brooks ahead of their title unification bout at ONE 171:Qatar on Thursday, February, 20, 2025. 

This will be an epic World Title trilogy fight to unify the divisional belts.

The two MMA star fighters first collided in late 2022 at ONE 164, when Brooks earned an impressive decision to catch up the win and capture the Filipino’s undisputed strawweight MMA crown.

In March 2024, they had a rematch at ONE 166: Qatar, where the American MMA fighter delivered an illegal slam in the opening minute, losing via disqualification and giving the World Title back to the Filipino fighter.

Now, it’s clear that “The Passion” will need to make some critical tactical adjustments to leave Qatar as the undisputed ONE Strawweight MMA World Champion.

Pacio said in an interview that he would show no fear in the trilogy-capping match and need to be selective, and never let his rival dictate the action on his feet.

“The thing that I want to show is a fighter who isn’t scared of what’s gonna happen in the ring, a fighter who isn’t scared to get taken down. A fighter who isn’t scared of being put in a precarious position on the ground. I want to show that I know what to do now,” he said.

The 29-year-old MMA fighter admitted that he got “stagnant” due to being “too worried about getting taken down, and now, he will be more focused on attacking and making Brooks as uncomfortable as possible.

“I was waiting for an opening, and that’s my error. That’s why he was able to land those clean shots. Credit to him because his footwork and movement really frustrated me,I want to show I have answers, that I’m not just gonna rely on my takedown defense to stop him, but I can battle him on the ground, even on my back.” 

“I want to show that he’s not just the one who’s a threat in wrestling. Maybe I’ll take him down, as well. Like [Demetrious Johnson], that ‘Mighty Mouse’ mentality,” he added. 

The Pacio-Brooks trilogy will be the main event of ONE 171, which will be held at the Lusail Sports Arena.