“I am the underdog” - Strawweight MMA champ Joshua Pacio admits the odds are against him in trilogy fight with Jarred Brooks

Reigning ONE strawweight MMA world champion and Lions Nation MMA co-founder 'The Passion' Joshua Pacio of the Philippines believes the odds are stacked against him as he enters perhaps the third and final battle against longtime rival 'The Monkey God' Jarred Brooks.

Brooks and Pacio are 1-1 in the world's largest martial arts organization, and each hold a piece of the strawweight MMA throne. But in just a few days' time, the two will go to war for the chance to be recognized as the undisputed king of the division.

Speaking to ONE Championship in a recent interview, Pacio described the thoughts going through his mind ahead of this colossal showdown.

'The Passion' said:

"I don’t mind. That’s my mentality in this camp. I am the underdog. It fires me up during training. It gives me more motivation to defend this belt."

Needless to say, the Filipino star is absolutely motivated to get the job done once and for all and return from his more than one-year absence with a successful world title defense.

It all comes to a head at ONE 171: Qatar.

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Joshua Pacio to throw down with Jarred Brooks in world title unification at ONE 171: Qatar

In just a few days' time, fans will get to witness the epic conclusion of the Joshua Pacio vs Jarred Brooks trilogy.

'The Passion' Joshua Pacio and 'The Monkey God' Jarred Brooks will look to end their rivalry with the winner of their trilogy match being crowned the undisputed ONE strawweight MMA world champion.

The two face off in the main event 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 free on watch.onefc.com.

Stay tuned to Sportskeeda MMA for all the latest news and updates surrounding the event as it happens.