Mansur Malachiev says a win over Joshua Pacio brings him closer to a world title shot with Jarred Brooks

Russian standout Mansur Malachiev knows that a win over former ONE world champion Joshua Pacio will get him within reach of his first title opportunity with the promotion.

After introducing himself to the ONE Championship fanbase in June with a slick first-round submission victory over Jeremy Miado, Malachiev will return at ONE Fight Night 15 determined to continue his climb toward the top of the strawweight division. Standing in his way will be the division’s No. 1 ranked contender and former strawweight MMA king, Joshua Pacio.

Speaking with ONE Championship days before his highly anticipated showdown with Pacio inside Bangkok’s legendary Lumpinee Boxing Stadium, Mansur Malachiev knows that the stakes are high and he has every intention of taking advantage of the opportunity he’s been handed.

“A win over Pacio would be a major win for me on my way to the big goal – the ONE belt,” Malachiev said. “My opponent is number one in the division, and a win over him would bring me closer to a World Title fight.”

Riding an 11-fight unbeaten streak, Mansur Malachiev has finished six of his opponents by way of submission and another three via knockout. His well-rounded skill set would pose a threat to any man inside the Circle, but Malachiev has yet to fight anyone as experienced as Joshua Pactio.

‘The Passion’ has won eight of his last 10 and boasts an impressive 73% finish rate in ONE, but Pacio will be looking to bounce back after falling short of defending the strawweight MMA title against ‘The Monkey God’ Jarred Brooks at ONE 164 in December.

Will Pacio climb back into the win column this Friday night, or will Malachiev continue his rise to the top of the strawweight division?

Amazon Prime Video subscribers in North America can catch all the action at ONE Fight Night 15 live and for free in U.S. primetime on October 6.