“It's just a relief” - Joshua Pacio thrilled to silence his doubters after emphatic finish to rivalry with Jarred Brooks

Filipino fighter Joshua Pacio became the undisputed ONE strawweight MMA world champion in Qatar last week with an emphatic TKO victory over American rival Jarred Brooks. It was a win he took a lot of significance from as it was his way of silencing those who doubted him in the lead-up.

The Lions Nation MMA standout, the reigning divisional king, became the certified sheriff in the strawweight division after he finished erstwhile interim world champion Brooks in their unification bout at ONE 171: Qatar on Feb. 20 at the Lusail Sports Arena.

Pacio dug deep to come back strong in the second round of the contest after being tested by 'The Monkey God' early on to score a TKO win.

At the post-event press conference, Joshua Pacio spoke about how thrilled he was not only to unify the strawweight belts but also to have silenced the people who doubted his ability to get the job done.

The 29-year-old champion said:

"It's just a release for me because there are a lot of people talking behind me, doubting me, [saying], 'You can't do it, you can't do it.' You know, at the end of the day, I'm just very focused on winning and training. I've been through a lot because of the injuries like that, but, you know, it's just a relief. There's so much joy and happiness. That's it."

Watch the interview below:

ONE 171 was the first match back for Joshua Pacio, who suffered a knee injury that sidelined him for some time. He got injured even before he took on Brooks in their rematch in March last year also in Qatar, where he seized back the strawweight belt after Brooks was disqualified for executing an illegal slam that had Pacio hitting his head first on the canvas.

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Chatri Sityodtong believes Joshua Pacio silenced doubters with emphatic win at ONE 171

ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong agreed that Joshua Pacio's emphatic win over Jarred Brooks at ONE 171 somehow silenced his doubters.

The ONE executive shared this in the post-event press conference for the recent marquee Qatar show of the promotion, underscoring that Pacio was viewed as the underdog yet went on to overwhelm Brooks.

Sityodtong said:

"I think the main event, from my understanding, Jarred Brooks was a three-to-one favorite. So that fight was crazy. I mean, the first round for four minutes at least. But you know, hats off to Joshua. Joshua, finishing a guy like Jarred was definitely, no one. I guarantee you, there's nobody, no expert around the world who said Joshua Pacio is going to finish Jarred Brooks in the second round. So that, for me, was probably the best performance of the night."

For the impressive win, Pacio received a first-ever $50,000 performance bonus from Sityodtong.

The full replay of ONE 171: Qatar is available via watch.onefc.com.