“I really missed out” - Strawweight MMA champ Joshua Pacio regrets the time he lost due to injuries heading into ONE 171

Joshua Pacio could've had one of the busiest years of his prime if not for a slew of injuries that forced him to the sidelines.

A debilitating knee injury saddled the ONE strawweight MMA world champion for much of 2024, but he's now back to full health and ready to defend the division's crown.

Pacio will face off against ONE interim strawweight MMA world champion Jarred Brooks for the undisputed ONE strawweight MMA world title in the main event of the stacked ONE 171: Qatar card on Feb. 20 at Lusail Sports Arena.

In an interview with ONE Championship, the 29-year-old star revealed he injured his knee before his world title rematch against Brooks in March 2024.

Things turned from bad to worse when he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in one of his knees during training after reclaiming the ONE strawweight MMA world title from Brooks at ONE 166: Qatar.

Joshua Pacio said:

"You know when I started the year, I envisioned it to be an active year both in ONE and outside of it. Beat Brooks, defend my title, join jiu-jitsu competitions in both gi and no-gi. That’s what I truly wanted. I wanted to improve my jiu-jitsu but I can’t seem to do it. There are a lot of things I really missed out on because of the injury."

Pacio was forced to miss most of 2024 to rehabilitate his injured knee, but he's since clarified that he's back to full form and ready to face Brooks in possibly the biggest fight of his career.

Tickets for ONE 171 are available at Q-Tickets, while the entire card will be streamed live at watch.onefc.com.

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Joshua Pacio wants to silence his critics in highly anticipated trilogy against Jarred Brooks

Joshua Pacio has always been adamant that his victory over Jarred Brooks wasn't how he wanted to reclaim his coveted ONE strawweight MMA world title.

'The Passion' recaptured the gold when Brooks was disqualified in their world title rematch, a stipulation Pacio often discussed in previous media interviews.

Talking to ONE Championship, Pacio said he heard what the critics said and he's determined to put on a proper show at ONE 171 in Qatar.

"I don’t really listen to what people say, on whether I’m the true champion or not. But in each sport, there are rules that we follow. Without it, you know there’d be chaos," said Joshua Pacio.

He added:

"Unfortunately, it ended that way, it’s not the finish I wanted, not how I wanted to get the belt, but we have to follow the rules. Now it’s the time to prove it."