“It could have been a lifetime injury” - Lito Adiwang recalls dreadful feeling after Joshua Pacio’s scary fall against Jarred Brooks

Filipino MMA fighter Lito Adiwang believes reigning ONE strawweight world champion and former teammate Joshua Pacio was lucky to avoid a potential lifetime injury from the bad fall he sustained in his last fight.

'Thunder Kid', in a recent interview with Sportskeeda MMA, recalled the horror he felt when he saw 'The Passion' hit his head first on the canvas after an illegal spike executed by American Jarred Brooks in their title clash on March 1 at ONE 166: Qatar. The slam earned 'The Monkey God' a disqualification and forced him to hand over the strawweight gold to Pacio

Lito Adiwang said about the slam:

"For me, I agree [that the strawweight belt was handed over to Pacio]. Before the fight, there are rules that we know we should follow. First it was a bad way to get the belt. Second, it could have been a lifetime injury. That's what I felt during the fight, hoping that he was alright, because for me, the belt had no meaning if he sustained a lifetime injury. So right after the fight, I messaged him and he said he's OK, so I was relieved."

Pacio gained back the strawweight belt after Brooks earned an automatic DQ for the illegal spike he executed in the opening round in their last fight. The move saw the Filipino scarily hitting his head first on the canvas and sent to the hospital after. Later he was diagnosed with a cervicomuscular strain in his neck, which required rest and rehab.

However, it was also revealed that Pacio suffered an ACL tear even before he fought Brooks, which he had surgery for and is now recovering. He is expected to be out until the first half of next year, forcing ONE Championship to hold an interim strawweight world title fight back in August, which Brooks claimed with a first-round submission of Cuban Gustavo Balart.

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Lito Adiwang still on the fence in facing Joshua Pacio

Lito Adiwang is still keen on achieving greater height in the ONE strawweight MMA lane but admits he is still undecided on whether to take on current divisional king Joshua Pacio along the way.

The Bali-based Soma Fight Club affiliate spoke about it in an interview with The MMA Superfan last year, highlighting how it is difficult to decide since he is going against someone who he considers like a brother.

Lito Adiwang said:

"Let's see. For now, I can't say. That's my brother. We'll see. I'll answer that once the opportunity is there. I always get asked this question. I don't want to make any drama or anything. For me, we'll cross the bridge one we get there."

See the full interview below:

Lito Adiwang and Pacio used to be teammates at Team Lakay before they decided to leave the group last year and move on to separate camps to grow as fighters and expand their horizon.