Mansur Malachiev eyes Jarred Brooks showdown after taking care of business against Joshua Pacio

Although not an official ONE strawweight MMA world title eliminator, the battle between former strawweight MMA king ‘The Passion’ Joshua Pacio and no.5-ranked strawweight MMA contender Mansur Malachiev this week will likely determine the next challenger to Jarred Brooks’ coveted throne.

The Filipino stalwart is set to lock horns with the Russian mauler at ONE Fight Night 15: Le vs. Freymanov on Prime Video, which broadcasts live from the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand on Friday, October 6.

Malachiev, for one, is confident he can get past Pacio and book a world title shot in short order. For the Russian star, the only thing that matters is getting an opportunity to fight for the belt, and he will stop at nothing to earn it.

Speaking to ONE Championship in a recent interview, Malachiev talked about facing Pacio this Friday night, and that he’s fixated on luring Brooks into a highly anticipated wrestling showdown.

Malachiev said:

“My goal is the belt, and I don’t care who my opponent is going to be. But since I’m fighting the number one [contender in the division], I want to fight Jarred Brooks, the champion, next.”

Malachiev joined ONE Championship in June with an unblemished professional record of 11-0 with nine finishes. He debuted against highly regarded Jeremy ‘The Jaguar’ Miado, winning by first-round submission to break into the top five rankings.

Malachiev and Brooks have gone back-and-forth, trading verbal barbs through the media over the past few months, generating interest in a potential showdown. If the Russian can defeat his next opponent, he could very well get what he wants, and that’s ‘The Monkey God’ in the cage.

Fans in the United States and Canada can catch all the action at ONE Fight Night 15 live and absolutely free on Amazon Prime Video.