"Gonna be hard to knock him out in the first" – Jarred Brooks says he’ll likely finish "big guy" Joshua Pacio late in their rematch

Jarred Brooks (Left) faces Joshua Pacio (Right) in a rematch at ONE 166
Jarred Brooks (Left) faces Joshua Pacio (Right) in a rematch at ONE 166 [Images: ONE Championship]

As he approaches the first defense of his ONE strawweight MMA world championship, Jarred Brooks is looking to leave no doubt as to who the best in the division is.

The champion is set to square off against former champ Joshua Pacio in a rematch at ONE 166, where improving upon his performance the first time around is Brooks’ main source of motivation.

At ONE 164, Brooks was able to get the job done against ‘The Passion’ with a display that showcased a little bit of his overall game, leading to a convincing win on the scorecards.

‘The Monkey God’ is now coming into the rematch with the intention of making some adjustments to ensure that he finds a finish at the second time of asking.

In a recent interview with FightWave, Brooks spoke about his plans to put Pacio away in order to end this chapter of both of their careers for good:

“I want to beat Joshua Pacio on March 1, I’m going to knock Joshua out in the second or third round. He's a big guy so it's gonna be hard to knock him out in the first, but I think I can knock him out in the second and third off of good wrestling exchanges.”

Watch the full interview below:

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Finishing Joshua Pacio will be far easier said than done for Jarred Brooks

Finishing Joshua Pacio will be no easy take for Jarred Brooks, even if he is able to make some adjustments from their first meeting.

‘The Passion’ has only been finished twice in his 25-fight pro career and both of those came by submission in 2017 and 2016.

The former champion has also proven time and time again that he has the resilience and experience to battle back from adversity and reclaim the top spot in the division.

Brooks may have beaten him once before but make no mistake about it, Pacio is a tough test and could prove to be an even more difficult opponent for the American the second time around.

ONE 166 will air live via global pay-per-view on March 1. Check your local listings for more details.

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