“A fighter that isn’t scared to get taken down” - Joshua Pacio bringing a bulletproof mindset in grudge match with Jarred Brooks

Joshua Pacio will go into trilogy fight with Jarred Brooks armed with the lessons he has learned from their first two meetings. This time around, 'The Passion' says he'll no longer worry about the inevitable and simply find a way to win from a disadvantageous position.

The reigning strawweight MMA world champion will look to cement his status as the undisputed king of the 125-pound MMA division this Feb. 20 when he squares off with interim champ Brooks for perhaps the final time at ONE 171: Qatar inside the Lusail Sports Arena.

'The Monkey God' has leaned on his wrestling and suffocating pressure to win five of his seven MMA matches in the home of martial arts. Admittedly, Joshua Pacio focused way too much on defending takedowns and keeping the match standing against his grappling-heavy rival.

This time around, however, the Filipino star says he'll bring forth a stronger mindset and different approach to win this massive grudge match at ONE 171.

The Lions Nation MMA representative told ONE:

"The thing that I want to show is a fighter that isn’t scared of what’s gonna happen in the ring. A fighter that isn’t scared to get taken down. A fighter that isn’t scared to get put in a precarious position on the ground. I want to show that I know what to do now."

Joshua Pacio guarantees knee has fully recovered from partial ACL tear

The world title unification bout between Joshua Pacio and Jarred Brooks was put on hold after the former hurt his knee and needed surgery. 'The Passion' worked tirelessly to get back in full shape and managed to recover quicker than initially expected.

In the same interview with ONE, the 29-year-old confidently claimed that his previous injury won't be a factor in perhaps the most important fight of his career.

"That’s all I wanted. It took all my fears away; it took all my hesitations away. There’s no fear of aggravating it anymore. I have peace of mind this time around that I can wrestle, grapple, strike, work on my conditioning and game without thinking about anything."

For more information about ONE 171: Qatar, visit watch.onefc.com.