At ONE 164, Joshua Pacio will finally meet Jarred Brooks in their grudge match. With Pacio’s strawweight world championship on the line, this fight has been building in anticipation like a snowball rolling down a hill.
Originally scheduled for June 3 this year, their fight was rescheduled to a later date. In the meantime, the trash talk from ‘The Monkey God’ has only increased.
In an interview on JM Siasat’s Sparring Sessions, the two men traded words back and forth in a virtual face-off.
Despite everything Brooks has said, Pacio believes that it will not affect him at all going into the fight. The defending world champion said:
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“You think that I’m afraid? No man. I’m a fighter man, I was born to fight, that’s why I’m a champion. Who says that I’m afraid?”
Watch the full interview with both men below:
Joshua Pacio has been dominant at strawweight with three world title defenses under his belt. In Jarred Brooks, he faces one of his most dangerous challengers.
The American has gone 3-0 inside the circle, with all of his wins coming after Pacio’s last fight against Yosuke Saruta in their trilogy in September 2021.
The two rivals will meet in the main event of ONE 164 on December 2, six months down the line from their originally scheduled matchup.
“This is my division” – Joshua Pacio issues ominous warning to Jarred Brooks
The reigning and defending strawweight world champion Joshua Pacio is ready to stand his ground at ONE 164.
Pacio’s next fight will be the most intense of his career as he comes up against Jarred Brooks, who has trash-talked the champion at every opportunity.
Originally scheduled to meet each other in June, the fight was pushed back to a later date, which only added to the tension.
‘The Monkey God’ has tried to get into the head of his opponent. However, the champion has remained calm and collected throughout:
“Jarred Brooks, you’ve never fought somebody like me. This is my division. I’m not even at my peak, and I’m the best in the world. That’s a scary thing for Jarred Brooks. You will lose because of your arrogance.”
Watch the ONE 164 promo video featuring Pacio vs. Brooks below:
Joshua Pacio has been out of competition since September 2021. The only reigning champion from Team Lakay has put together a four-fight win streak, including victories over former champions Yosuke Saruta and Alex Silva.
The 26-year-old power striker has proven himself to be a dominant champion. However, in Jarred Brooks, he faces a different kind of opponent, one that hasn’t shown him the respect he is owed.