"My faith has always been strong" - Joshua Pacio thankful for escaping serious harm after head spike from Jarred Brooks

Newly crowned strawweight MMA world champion Joshua Pacio figured in a horrific fall at ONE 166: Qatar earlier this month, after being on the receiving end of an inadvertent head spike from Jarred Brooks.

It was a scary sight indeed, as the Filipino left Lusail Sports Arena on a stretcher after brutally landing on his neck.

Fortunately, Pacio did not sustain major injuries and is on his road back to a full recovery.

As far as 'The Passion' is concerned, it was his unwavering faith that allowed him to escape what could been a career or perhaps even a life-threatening predicament.

The Lions Nation MMA athlete said in an interview with Nissi Icasiano of The MMA Superfan:

"My confidence comes from my trust in God. I mean, I don't understand why the fight ended that way, but I still trust in God. I've always had visions of my victory. My faith has always been strong. It's all up to God. I trust him. I trust him in my journey as an athlete. Everything is in his hands. The result of this match, everything".

Watch Joshua Pacio's full interview:

Spikes to the head, neck, and spine areas are illegal under the Global Martial Arts Ruleset, given the potential consequences of these dangerous slams.

Simply put, it could have been much worse for Joshua Pacio and we're all glad he'll be back in the Circle in no time.

Jarred Brooks says he's not a 'dirty fighter' after unfortunate ending to Joshua Pacio rematch

Despite his heated rivalry with Pacio, Jarred Brooks insists he meant no ill will towards the man who now occupies his strawweight MMA throne.

In his own interview with The MMA Superfan, ‘The Monkey God’ made it clear he meant to slam Pacio on his back but badly misjudged his opponent's landing.

"I’m not gonna sit there and take a man’s career and a man’s life, anything like that. I don’t want people in the world to think I’m a dirty fighter either."