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Joshua Pacio is used to getting choked.
'The Passion' walked away as the undisputed ONE strawweight MMA world champion at ONE 171: Qatar, securing an impressive second-round TKO over Jarred Brooks in the evening's main event.
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Perhaps even more impressive was the fact that Pacio fought out of no less than four submission attempts from Brooks in the first round, including an especially tight guillotine choke.
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Asked what was going through his head while 'The Monkey God' was fishing for an early finish, Pacio revealed that there was very little panic setting in thanks to his daily routine of being choked by Lions Nation MMA teammate Stephen Loman. Speaking at the ONE 171 post-fight press conference, Pacio said:
"Of course, you know, I'm used to it. Imagine Stephen Loman choking me every day in the gym. So I'm used to it."
With the victory, Pacio closed out his trilogy with Brooks winning their last two encounters and becoming a six-time ONE-strawweight MMA world champion. However, we have a feeling that one of ONE Championship's greatest rivalries is far from over.
Joshua Pacio believes the setbacks he suffered made his win over Brooks at ONE 171 even sweeter
After surrendering the ONE strawweight MMA crown to 'The Monkey God' in December 2022, it's been a long road back for Joshua Pacio.
However, despite all the ups and downs—including a torn ACL and being spiked onto the top of his head by Brooks at ONE 166 last year—Pacio believes that those hardships made his win in Qatar even sweeter. Speaking to The MMA Superfan, Pacio said:
"I think for me, it made the victory sweeter. Like I said, God orchestrated it. I think it was good that we lost that first fight. The second one hurt as well. But with God’s protection and favor, I was safe. All these lessons - the injuries and the journey getting here—it made this victory that much sweeter."
If you missed any of the action, you can watch the full ONE 171: Qatar replay on demand via watch.onefc.com.
