“Leave all your problems” – Joshua Pacio says he developed tunnel vision to reclaim his world title in Jarred Brooks rematch

Former ONE strawweright MMA world champion Joshua Pacio

Former ONE strawweight MMA world champion Joshua Pacio will have the chance to regain his belt from the man who took it from him, Jarred Brooks, at ONE 166: Qatar on March 1. The much-awaited world title rematch will be part of ONE Championship's first-ever fight card in the beautiful country of Qatar.

Their first dance happened in Pacio's backyard, in Manila, Philippines at ONE 164 in late 2022. After five rounds of nail-biting action, 'The Monkey God' ended the long-running world title reign of 'The Passion' via unanimous decision.

Speaking to Qatar-based Filipino radio station Qabayan Radio 94.3 on YouTube, Joshua Pacio candidly addressed his mindset leading to his rematch with Brooks:

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“The challenges they’re saying is always the pressure. Of course, heading into this fight you have to be laser-focused. Leave all your problems first, focus on the fight, focus on the game plan, focus on the training camp, and on the hard work you’re putting in that I and my teammates did. That’s where my focus lies right now, no other challenge, no other pressure, but just be relaxed and focused.”

Watch the full interview here:

Joshua Pacio promises not to be "wary" against Jarred Brooks in the rematch

Speaking further with Qabayan Radio 94.3, 'The Passion' revealed what he will do differently once he locks horns again with ''The Monkey God' at ONE 166:

“I’m just going to keep throwing my combinations and won’t be as wary as I was with my opponent’s takedown attempts.”

In any combat sport, it's never a good thing to be tentative with your attacks. When a fighter hesitates in the ring, it's the perfect opportunity for the opponent to either clock him in the face or drag him down to the ground.

Joshua Pacio, in his first fight with Brooks, was seemingly hesitant to unload his full arsenal with the fear of getting taken down. This may have led to Brooks taking advantage of this flaw and repeatedly tagging and taking down the Filipino striker.

ONE 166: Qatar will air free of charge for existing Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.

About the author

Duane is an expert MMA writer at Sportskeeda with over 10 years of experience working for the likes of Philippine Star, Esquire Philippines, Playboy Philippines, etc. A major in English, he has written over 2000 articles for Sportskeeda section, extensively covering UFC and boxing fights.

Duane is a practicing MMA fighter with a 11-7 record. He is also a Brazilian jiu-jitsu purple belt and trains Muay Thai. His connection with MMA dates back to 2005, when he turned into a fan after watching Fedor Emelianenko defeat Mirko ‘Cro Cop’ Filipovic at Pride FC - Final Conflict 2005.

Emelianenko finds himself right at the top of Duane’s Mt. Rushmore of MMA fighters, alongside other big names like Demetrious Johnson, Jon Jones, Georges St-Pierre, and Anderson Silva.

Duane’s love for the sport is reflected in his writings, where he believes in speculating but not insinuating. He uses his intensive knowledge and skills in MMA to provide unique insights to the readers, along with sourcing information only from reliable sources.

Outside of work, Duane enjoys martial arts training, visual arts, film criticism, video games, and creative writing.

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Edited by C. Naik