“Give him a ranked opponent next” – Joshua Pacio marvels at Lito Adiwang’s recovery

ONE Championship has continued to build on its portfolio of great athletes since its inception over a decade ago, with many fighters from different countries being a part of its many events.

One Asian nation that is not lacking in its great MMA stars is that of the Philippines, thanks to the efforts of former ONE lightweight MMA world champion Eduard Folayang.

In a recent interview with ONE Championship, former ONE strawweight world MMA champion Joshua Pacio praised Lito Adiwang for earning his way back to fighting ranked fighters after he suffered a devastating ACL injury back in early 2022.

“I’m proud. I knew what he went through. I was there, I saw it," Joshua Pacio said. "The question we fighters always have when we go through injuries like that is “will I ever get back to my old self?” And he proved himself that not only he can return, but he actually came back better than ever."

Pacio continued:

“That’s what he showed in 2023 and I’m so proud of him. He came back and won not just a fight, but won two fights in the most spectacular way. Give him a ranked opponent next. I’m sure he’s ready for anyone.”

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Joshua Pacio gets his rematch with Jarred Brooks

While his fellow Filipino bounced back with a 23-second knockout of Adrian Mattheis and a unanimous decision win against Jeremy Miado, “The Passion” himself got his shot at redemption against Jarred Brooks.

The rematch is set for March 1 in Qatar at ONE 166 - over a year and some change after he lost the ONE strawweight MMA world championship to “The Monkey God” at ONE 164 in December of 2022.

Even though he admitted that he holds no grudge towards Brooks, Joshua Pacio’s warrior spirit wants to bring the title back to the Philippines once again and inspire the next breed of fighters just like his senior Eduard Folayang did for his generation.