Joshua Pacio ready to return to action after recovering from ACL tear: "We have to be ready"

ONE strawweight MMA world champion Joshua Pacio is ready to make his long awaited return to action following an incredibly difficult year in his career. 2024 has been a year of setbacks for 'The Passion' who has had to overcome two of the biggest obstacles that he has faced in his career to date.

After his rematch with Jarred Brooks at ONE 166: Qatar, where he was accidentally spiked on his head, Pacio suffered an ACL injury that would keep him out of competition for a significant amount of time.

His trilogy fight with 'The Monkey God' was subsequently put on hold and since then, he has been entirely focused on returning to full strength.

Despite these difficult moments that he has overcome, Joshua Pacio has taken it all in stride as something that comes as part of the game.

The Brooks rematch is now set to take place in the co-main event of ONE Championship's return to Qatar on Feb. 20 at the Lusail Sports Arena.

In a recent interview with The MMA Superfan ahead of ONE 171: Qatar, Pacio spoke about how his one and only goal is on getting back to his best:

"For me, I'm just focused right now because when I was cleared, I was immediately given this fight. It's part of being a professional athlete also. No matter the circumstance, we have to be ready."

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Joshua Pacio needs to turn things around in the trilogy

Joshua Pacio and Jarred Brooks are currently tied at one win each following their first two clashes over the ONE strawweight world championship.

However, in order to beat 'The Monkey God' at ONE 171: Qatar, Pacio will need to show some serious adjustments which won't be easy considering the injury that he has been battling for some time now.

Brooks may have been disqualified in their last encounter but he started the fight incredibly fast before making a big mistake.