"He never underestimated me" - Joshua Pacio believes archenemy Jarred Brooks gave it his all in their epic trilogy match

Newly crowned undisputed ONE strawweight MMA world champion Joshua Pacio thinks that his victory over Jarred Brooks was not a product of the American star underestimating him.

Pacio shared this thought during his post-fight interview with the media, where he also said that Brooks is also one of the most hardworking athletes he knows by stating:

"No. I know Jarred Brooks is always prepared. I know that he never underestimated me. I know the guy. He worked so hard, he trained so hard for him and his family."

Check out Joshua Pacio's full interview below:

'The Passion' weathered the early grappling storm by 'The Monkey God' and survived the first round. He escaped several submission attempts by the Brooks, which made him lose an ample amount of gas.

Pacio capitalized on his visibly gassed-out opponent to rain down the vicious ground and pound in the second frame until the referee had seen enough and halted the fight for a TKO finish at 4:22 of the round.

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Joshua Pacio says that all heartbreaks from the past have made this win sweeter against Jarred Brooks

Before the Filipino MMA star enjoyed all this triumph and success, he first suffered several heartbreaks, particularly losing the championship belt to Jarred Brooks during their first meeting and sustaining a leg injury.

However, Joshua Pacio claimed that these challenges have made his journey to the top even more worth it and sweeter. The Lions Nation MMA representative shared this during his post-fight interview:

"I think for me, it made the victory sweeter. Like I said, God orchestrated it. I think it was good that we lost that first fight. The second one hurt as well. But with God's protection and favor, I was safe. All these lessons - the injuries and the journey getting here - it made this victory that much sweeter."

Fans can rewatch all the action at ONE 171: Qatar via watch.onefc.com.