Joshua Pacio says he views himself "as a challenger" ahead of Jarred Brooks trilogy in Qatar

At ONE 171: Qatar, Joshua Pacio is preparing to make his long awaited return to the global stage following a difficult time in his career.

'The Passion' has been at the very top of the strawweight MMA division for a long time but now there is another who has a claim to be the best.

At ONE 166 earlier this year, Pacio faced off with Jarred Brooks in a rematch and though the result saw him take back the ONE strawweight world championship, it wasn't the way that anyone wanted the fight to go.

Brooks was disqualified in the first round for spiking his opponent, but after claiming the interim title later on in the year, he feels like he's the defending champion ahead of their trilogy fight on Feb. 20 at the Lusail Sports Arena in Qatar.

This doesn't affect Joshua Pacio who in a recent interview with The MMA Superfan, said that he approaches each fight like he is the one who has a point to prove:

"I always see myself heading into any match as a challenger. I'm not blessed physically to be super strong, but we became a champion for a reason. I believe God put me on this platform for a reason, and that's what I'm going to prove this February."

Watch the full interview below:

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Joshua Pacio has had to wait a long time to get his hands on Brooks

It has been a long road back for Joshua Pacio and Jarred Brooks has been on his mind this whole time.

Though an immediate rematch would've been ideal following the events of ONE 166: Qatar, it wasn't possible after Pacio suffered a significant injury which has kept him on the sidelines for the best part of a year.

He's now set to return in Qatar, where he will try to put this chapter of his career with Brooks to bed once and for all. ONE 171: Qatar will broadcast live from the Lusail Sports Arena on Feb. 20.