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Joshua Pacio isn't letting his recent injuries get to him.
The last time Pacio stepped inside the Circle, he walked away as the new ONE strawweight MMA world champion. Unfortunately, he also left the cage a little worse for wear after his opponent, current ONE interim strawweight MMA titleholder Jarred Brooks inadvertently spiked him on his head during an early takedown attempt.
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However, that wasn't even the worst of it. Pacio ended up tearing his ACL during the brief encounter, forcing him to undergo surgery and sit on the sidelines for the better part of a year.
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Looking back on his run of bad luck, Pacio is trying to look on the bright side and show his appreciation for finally being back to 100% and ready to resume his role as the king of the strawweight MMA division.
Pacio told ONE Championship:
"You know the worst thing that can happen to an athlete is injuries...But at the end of the day, I still thank God for the healing. I’m 100 percent back. I’ve recovered well, I’m back training and that’s all I ask for."
Joshua Pacio and Jarred Brooks will close the book on their iconic rivalry at ONE 171: Qatar
Returning to action at ONE 171: Qatar inside the Lusail Sports Arena on Thursday, February 20, Joshua Pacio will look to unify the division's belts to crown an undisputed strawweight champion against Jarred Brooks as the two square off in one of the most anticipated trilogy fights in ONE Championship history.
Pacio came up short against 'The Monkey God' at ONE 164 in December 2022 but reclaimed the ONE strawweight MMA world title 15 months later at the promotion's debut in Qatar last year.
Of course, winning via disqualification was a less than satisfying result for 'The Passion.' Now, he'll look to close out one of ONE's most iconic rivalries with a big win and his 26 pounds of undisputed gold intact.
ONE 171: Qatar will take place at the Lusail Sports Arena in Qatar on Thursday, February 20. Head over to watch.onefc.com to learn more about how you can watch the event live.
