Joshua Pacio may be embroiled in a deep-seething rivalry with Jarred Brooks, but he knows the animosity only lies within the ONE Championship Circle.
The Filipino superstar upended Brooks via second-round technical knockout in their trilogy match for the undisputed ONE strawweight MMA world title in the main event of ONE 171: Qatar on Feb. 20 at Lusail Sports Arena.
Taking to Instagram, Pacio reflected on his career-defining win but most importantly took his time to look out for his archrival.
Brooks and Pacio have shared some of the fiercest matches inside the cage, but they've always treated each other as respectful friends outside of it.
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Joshua Pacio wrote:
"To my brother @the_monkeygod , hope everything is well bro, ill keep praying for you, much Love 🙇♂️ It’s just the beginning of a new season ☀️ 🦁 Im just getting started 🏆🙌🏼"
The trilogy match between Brooks and Pacio was fitting of its billing on the card, with both fighters showcasing their absolute strengths that brought the crowd into meltdown.
Brooks started strong and controlled Pacio for nearly five minutes in the opening round with punishing wrestling and multiple submission attempts.
After catching Pacio's roundhouse kick, Brooks quickly brought the fight to the ground and looked to end the night early with his impeccable ground game.
Pacio, however, managed to defend the submission attempts and turned the tables in the second round. Brooks threw a wayward roundhouse kick early in the second round only for Pacio to counter it and bring him to the ground.
Pacio then chopped Brooks' ribcage with multiple hooks from the top position before wriggling his head away from the American superstar's defense with nearly a minute left in the second.
Upon getting himself into a better position, Joshua Pacio quickly unloaded terrifying ground and pound, forcing the referee to stop the match 4:22 into the second round.
Fans can watch replays of ONE 171 at watch.onefc.com.
Joshua Pacio thanks overwhelming Filipino support in Qatar
Joshua Pacio may have been more than 7,000 kilometers away from the Philippines, yet the support he received in Qatar was just as feverish as ever.
An overwhelming Filipino contingent descended upon Lusail Sports Arena at ONE 171, which gave Pacio a de-facto hometown boost when he claimed the undisputed ONE strawweight MMA world title against Jarred Brooks in the card's headliner.
"That’s why I call it a home away from home. Thank you, Filipinos. Filipinos are very globally competitive all over the world. Filipinos are there. Thank you very much," said Pacio in his post-fight interview with Mitch Chilson.