Lito Adiwang says Joshua Pacio is already ‘in the perfect position’ for Jarred Brooks rematch

Lito Adiwang may have positioned himself as an out-of-the-box favorite to challenge for Jarred Brooks’ strawweight MMA world title with successive victories on the global stage. But the Filipino firecracker believes a former teammate of his is more deserving of that chance.

That athlete in conversation is none other than longtime strawweight king Joshua Pacio, who made a statement upon his return versus Mansur Malachiev at ONE Fight Night 15 this past October.

Having dropped a four-match winning streak and 26 pounds of gold to ‘The Monkey God’ in the main event of ONE 164 in December last year, there was plenty of weight on Pacio’s shoulders long before he arrived inside the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium, last month.

Despite all that, ‘The Passion’ walked away with his hand raised inside the Thai capital against Malachiev in a fight many expected him to struggle due to his foe’s technicality in the grappling department.

As a result, when asked about a world title shot, Lito Adiwang instantly threw his ex-Team Lakay stablemate’s name in the pot for a shot at gold.

‘Thunder Kid’ told spin.ph:

“For me, Joshua is in the perfect position to fight Jarred Brooks. I think I want to see them fight, and let’s take it from there.”

While he’s keen to see his fellow national athlete undergo another quest for gold, Lito Adiwang would be open to a clash against Pacio, only if the latter has the strawweight MMA world title in his possession.

Given their striking backgrounds and all-around arsenals, a showdown between these two Filipino warriors would be fun to watch.

For now, fans will wait until Pacio can do his part and reclaim the gold he once owned or until the ONE matchmakers decide it's time for them to cross paths under the promotional spotlight.