"Inspiration is just one percent" - Eduard Folayang says Joshua Pacio's triumph at ONE 166 was well-earned

Joshua Pacio reclaimed the ONE strawweight world championship at ONE 166: Qatar in unfortunate circumstances.

The belt returned to Pacio via disqualification after Jarred Brooks unintentionally spiked his strawweight rival on his head in the opening minute of their high-stakes rematch.

Whilst a trilogy fight will need to decide the rivalry between the two men, for now, the belt is back in the hands of 'The Passion'.

Though he may not have won the fight by his own doing, Filipino martial arts icon and Lions Nation MMA founder Eduard Folayang still believes that Joshua Pacio is incredibly deserving of praise for making his dream of recapturing the title a reality.

He told Inquirer in a recent interview that coming back to try and avenge his loss at ONE 166: Qatar is a huge feat all by itself:

"It's easy to dream, but once you're on your way making that dream a reality? That's when things become hard. They'd always say inspiration is just one percent. The other 99 is perspiration."

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No one can deny how hard Joshua Pacio has worked

Joshua Pacio undoubtedly faced a huge task ahead of him after he lost his title to Jarred Brooks at ONE 164.

'The Passion' was beaten fair and square on that night and had to work his way back up to the top by proving himself to be the number one contender.

He may not have been able to showcase what he had been working on for the rematch with Brooks on March 1, but at the end of the day, only man could leave the Lusail Sports Arena in Qatar as the champion and that honor went to Joshua Pacio.

This chapter of both men's careers is far from over but for the time being, the Filipino fans will cherish having the belt back with their champion.

North American viewers that missed out on any of the action from ONE 166: Qatar can watch the entire event back via the free on demand replay on Prime Video.