Jarred Brooks shocked that wrestler Mansur Malachiev gave Joshua Pacio problems with striking

Reigning and undisputed ONE strawweight MMA world champion ‘The Monkey God’ Jarred Brooks was shocked that his upcoming opponent, former divisional kingpin ‘The Passion’ Joshua Pacio, had such a hard time in the striking department in his last fight.

Pacio, a wushu-based fighter out of Lions Nation MMA in Baguio City, Philippines, is known for his thunderous strikes and lethal knockout potential. But when he faced Russia’s Mansur Malachiev last October, a man known primarily as a grappler, Pacio ran into some difficulty on the feet.

This came as a complete surprise to Brooks, who views Pacio’s striking as top-tier.

Speaking in a recent interview with The MMA Superfan, Brooks expressed his shock.

‘The Monkey God’ said:

“Joshua is super technical, he has a lot of precision in his punches and stuff like that while Mansur, he just throws it out like it's a train right? But that's the reason why he hit Joshua Pacio with that [spinning backfist].”

---

‘The Monkey God’ Jarred Brooks to run it back with rival ‘The Passion’ Joshua Pacio at ONE 166: Qatar

Fans won’t have to wait long to see Jarred Brooks and Joshua Pacio face off in a rematch. The two have been going back and forth since their fateful first encounter, and now they are ready to run it back in epic fashion.

Brooks will defend his ONE strawweight MMA world title against Pacio at ONE 166: Qatar, which broadcasts live from the Lusail Sports Arena in Lusail, Qatar on Friday, March 1.

Whoever wins will not only hold the undisputed belt but also own bragging rights in their heated rivalry.

ONE 166: Qatar broadcasts live on Friday, March 1, to existing Amazon Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada. Fans can catch all the action live and free. Stay tuned to Sportskeeda MMA for all the latest news and updates on ONE Championship.