Lito Adiwang’s assessment of Jarred Brooks and Joshua Pacio’s grappling prowess: “Both are at the championship level”

Lito Adiwang thinks both Jarred Brooks and Joshua Pacio deserve to be world champions.

For the time being, both of them are with Brooks carrying the interim ONE flyweight MMA world championship, while Pacio is the division's undisputed flyweight king. Before long, the two titans will collide in a unification clash that will serve as a highly anticipated trilogy bout between the two.

Offering his assessment of both fighters after having spent some time with them inside the Circle and at the gym, Adiwang believes 'The Monkey God' may have a slight advantage when it comes to the grappling game.

"In my honest opinion, after having fought Brooks and having trained with Joshua, both are at the championship level, but the wrestling and submission skills of Jarred are sharper than Joshua’s," Adiwang told Sportskeeda MMA. "That’s what I see."

Currently, Joshua Pacio is sidelined after undergoing ALC surgery following his disqualification win over Brooks at ONE 166 in Qatar.

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Will Jarred Brooks defend his interim title before inevitable trilogy fight with Joshua Pacio?

After Brooks handily defeated Pacio at ONE 164 in Manilla, the two would run it back in Lusail. Unfortunately, the bout came to an abrupt and anticlimactic end less than 60 seconds in.

As 'The Monkey God' went for an early takedown attempt, he inadvertently spiked Pacio on the top of his head, resulting in a disqualification loss.

Pacio also aggravated a pre-existing injury during the brief encounter which has forced him to sit out for the remainder of 2024. That prompted the promotion to introduce an interim title, which Brooks won via a first-round submission victory against Gustavo Balart at ONE Fight Night 24.

Now, Brooks is standing idly by, waiting for either Pacio to get the go-ahead or another top-five contender to step up and challenge him for the interim ONE flyweight MMA world championship.

Would you rather see Brooks defend his temporary title against another fighter in the division, or should he wait to close out his inevitable trilogy with 'The Passion'?

If you missed any of the action, ONE Championship fans in the United States and Canada can watch the ONE Fight Night 24 replay on demand via Amazon Prime Video.