“He got away from his own strengths” – Lito Adiwang says Joshua Pacio needs to showcase full arsenal in Jarred Brooks rematch

Former Team Lakay member ‘Thunder Kid’ Lito Adiwang will be watching closely as his friend and former teammate ‘The Passion’ Joshua Pacio goes head-to-head with rival, reigning and undisputed ONE strawweight MMA world champion ‘The Monkey God’ Jarred Brooks next week in a highly anticipated rematch.

Pacio locks horns with Brooks at ONE 166: Qatar, which broadcasts live from the Lusail Sports Arena in Lusail, Qatar, on Friday, March 1. It’s a rematch of their epic five-round war in Manila, Philippines, in December 2022.

Speaking to The MMA Superfan in a recent interview, Adiwang broke down the matchup and says ‘The Passion’ needs to fight his fight and use all of the weapons that make him dangerous.

‘The Thunder Kid’ stated:

“I think Pacio focused too much on Brooks’ strengths in their first match, and he kind of got away from his own strengths and fighting style. Brooks’ wrestling was too overwhelming, and I think Pacio was too locked in on defending those shots and was unable to use his advantage on the striking aspect. That’s my takeaway on that, and I know Joshua is really working hard in that regard.”

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Lito Adiwang on Joshua Pacio: “I think he can neutralize Brooks’ wrestling”

Of course, as Lito Adiwang himself can attest, the trickiest part about facing Jarred Brooks is the American’s world-class wrestling. However, ‘The Thunder Kid’ believes his friend Joshua Pacio can get the job done in that regard.

Adiwang told The MMA Superfan:

“This time, I think he can neutralize Brooks’ wrestling and find a way to take control on the ground by creating scrambles so he can get back up. I know he can create good positions and use ground and pound or possibly even submission attempts this time.”

ONE 166: Qatar broadcasts live on Friday, March 1, to existing Amazon Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada. Fans can catch all the action live and free. Stay tuned to Sportskeeda MMA for all the latest news and updates on ONE Championship.