“Every position we studied in training camp” - Joshua Pacio says his team prepared him for all scenarios against Jarred Brooks

Reigning ONE strawweight MMA world champion Joshua Pacio came into ONE 171: Qatar on February 20 fully prepared to defend his crown. Pacio, being intimately acquainted with how dangerous Jarred Brooks can be in the cage, was ready for whatever the challenger could throw at him in their trilogy fight.

Not leaving anything to chance, Pacio and his team studied Brooks' game inside and out, covering all possible scenarios. At the ONE 171 post-event press conference, 'The Passion' went into detail about his meticulous preparation:

"I'm confident in my training, in my preparation. Every position we studied in training camp, every position that Jarred will do to me. Lots of hours, we drilled it. Situational, we drilled it. My jiu-jitsu coach, my wrestling coach, they've been there like two to three hours, we've been working on every position that Jarred will do. So I'm very confident that wherever the fight will go, ground, stand-up, I'm very confident."

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"We expected a five-round war" - Joshua Pacio surprised that durable Jarred Brooks gassed out in their match

Joshua Pacio and his team planned for the long haul against 'The Monkey God' Jarred Brooks. Knowing Brooks' high-paced style, they expected a five-round battle... but the fight didn't go that way at all.

During the post-event press conference, Pacio talked about his game plan versus Jared Brooks. Being that this is their trilogy fight, Pacio was well-acquainted with the American fighter inside the cage. 'The Passion' planned to ramp up the pressure in round three, where Brooks typically starts to slow down:

"I think round three was our target round for an all-out attack because that's where he slows down. Well, not really slow down, because we know his pedigree, but that's where he lies low on his strength. So that's where I would have attacked with 100%."

Joshua Pacio prepared for the toughest version of Jarred Brooks, but Brooks defied all expectations and started fading in the second round. Of course, not one to waste an opportunity, Pacio pounced on the opportunity.

"So it was unexpected because we expected a five-round war. So I'm ready, we were really prepared for it. We're blessed to get the win in just round two."

With the win at ONE 171, Pacio is now 2 for 3 against Brooks.