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Joshua Pacio displayed his iron will and improved grappling at ONE 171: Qatar when he escaped multiple submission attempts from Jarred Brooks.
It seemed all but lost for the Filipino warrior early on in their main event strawweight MMA world title unification bout.
'The Monkey God' once again imposed his ferocious wrestling and crushing top pressure and caught Pacio in a mounted and arm-in guillotine as well as a tight D'Arce choke.
The Lions Nation MMA affiliate, though, kept his composure the entire time and averted disaster. Turns out, he wouldn't have done it without the help of his coaches and teammates, who put him in similar positions throughout his training camp.
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'The Passion' told The MMA Superfan:
"So I’ve been so used to getting choked during training in those positions. I’m always in those positions, so I know what I’m supposed to do. I’m used to it. It’s like, I felt that I had training partners who choked me harder than that. I was there in those positions, so I know what to do. I was calm and confident. If I got choked out there, then he’s the better man. But that didn’t happen, because I was prepared."
Brooks clearly emptied the tank after those submission attempts and followed is one of the best comebacks in mixed martial arts history.
Joshua Pacio cemented his status as the true king of the 125-pound division with a resounding TKO win to retain 26 pounds of gold and win their rivalry.
Chatri Sityodtong says Joshua Pacio is the best strawweight in the world
Chatri Sityodtong was among those in awe of Joshua Pacio's incredible warrior spirit and satisfying victory over his arch-rival Jarred Brooks.
After a performance like that, the promotion's Chairman and CEO gave the Filipino perhaps the most glaring commendation of his career.
The ONE head honcho said during the ONE 171 post-event press conference:
"Joshua cemented his status as the number one strawweight in the world. There's no question about that. Yeah, that was an epic performance."
The full replay of ONE 171: Qatar is available via watch.onefc.com.
