“I got stagnant” - Strawweight MMA champ Joshua Pacio reflects on the fatal flaws he made against interim king Jarred Brooks

Reigning ONE strawweight MMA world champion and Lions Nation MMA co-founder 'The Passion' Joshua Pacio of the Philippines has two-fight experience taking on American rival 'The Monkey God' Jarred Brooks.

And when the pair meet for the all-important third fight next week, Pacio believes he has discovered the secret to finally beating Brooks.

Part of his discovery involves studying their first two fights extensively.

Pacio first met Brooks at ONE 164 in December of 2022, where he lost via five-round unanimous decision. The two met again last year at ONE 166: Qatar, where Brooks inadvertently spiked Pacio on his head via an illegal suplex.

Speaking to ONE Championship in a recent interview, Pacio says he has learned the errors he made in their first two encounters.

'The Passion' stated:

"My error in that fight was just focusing on defense, I was too worried about getting taken down and I got stagnant. I wasn’t moving, I was waiting for an opening, and that’s my error. That’s why he was able to land those clean shots."

Now, the two strawweight rivals are finally ready to run it back when they meet in the Circle in a few days' time.

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Joshua Pacio squares off with Jarred Brooks in trilogy match for undisputed strawweight MMA throne at ONE 171: Qatar

Reigning strawweight MMA king 'The Passion' Joshua Pacio of the Philippines is set to unify the ONE strawweight MMA world title against interim titleholder 'The Monkey God' Jarred Brooks.

The two lock horns at ONE 171: Qatar, which will broadcast live from the Lusail Sports Arena in Lusail, Qatar, on Thursday, February 20.

Fans in the United States and Canada can catch all the action live and absolutely free via watch.onefc.com. Stay tuned to Sportskeeda MMA for all the latest news and updates surrounding Joshua Pacio's next fight.