FREE FULL FIGHT: Joshua Pacio’s wild knockout finish against Japanese rival Yosuke Saruta in Manila

Filipino strawweight MMA fighter Joshua Pacio has had a number of memorable championship fights in his division in his nearly a decade campaign in ONE Championship. Among which were his three title fights against Japanese rival Yosuke Saruta, which all produced edge-of-your-seat results.

The promotion recently relived one of those fights on its official YouTube channel. In particular, it was the second of their trilogy title fight at ONE: Roots of Honor on April 12, 2019 in Manila. 'The Passion' was angling to reclaim the strawweight gold in said fight after losing it to 'The Ninja' in January that year by split decision.

Pacio encountered early trouble in their rematch, knocked down by Saruta in the opening round. But he was able to recover his bearings as the fight wore on, engaging the Japanese star in a spirited back-and-forth.

The Filipino fighter, however, scored a well-placed knee strike with 2:16 left in the fourth round that instantly dropped Saruta, who was waved off thereafter, and saw Pacio reclaim the strawweight throne.

Check out the post below:

Saruta tried to get back the belt from Pacio in their third title fight in September 2021 but was unsuccessful, failing to move past the first round after being TKO'd with a barrage of punches.

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Joshua Pacio seeks to retain strawweight title at ONE 171

The YouTube post of ONE Championship of Pacio-Saruta II was in line with Joshua Pacio's return to action in February, where he will try to retain the strawweight belt he seized back in March last year.

Pacio will battle American rival Jarred Brooks in their own trilogy title fight at ONE 171: Qatar on Feb. 20 at the Lusail Sports Arena in Lusail.

They will try to settle unfinished business after their last fight back in March, also in Qatar, ended in the disqualification of 'The Monkey God' after he executed an illegal slam in the opening round. The move saw the Lions Nation MMA standout hit his head first on the canvas, with Brooks forced to give up his belt to Pacio because of it.

Pacio-Brooks III will also mark the return of Joshua Pacio to action after undergoing surgery on his knee, which he injured even before he took on Brooks in their rematch.

ONE 171: Qatar will be aired live and for free in U.S. primetime to North American fans with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.