Strawweight MMA champ Joshua Pacio says world title unification against Jarred Brooks will show his growth “into that next level”

Joshua Pacio believes his next world title match would be the perfect showcase for his overall growth as a fighter.

The reigning ONE strawweight MMA world champion will face archrival and interim world champion Jarred Brooks in a world title unification in the main event of ONE 171: Qatar on Feb. 20 at Lusail Sports Arena.

In an interview with ONE Championship, the 29-year-old said he'll showcase his best form during his trilogy match against Brooks and finally settle the debate on who should be the undisputed strawweight MMA king.

Joshua Pacio said:

"This fight will certainly show how I’ll grow into that next level, and that starts with my training up until the final buzzer."

Pacio immediately made waves in ONE Championship when he made his promotional debut in May 2016 as a 20-year-old upstart.

With an impressive promotional record of 13-4 and eight finishes, Pacio quickly established himself as one of the best fighters in Philippine history after becoming a six-time ONE strawweight MMA world champion.

Pacio had his first reign with the gold when he outclassed Japanese star Yoshitaka Naito in September 2018.

After a controversial split decision world title loss to Yosuke Saruta in January 2019, Pacio regained the throne when he knocked out the Japanese grappler in April of that year in front of a rabid Manila crowd.

Pacio then racked up three straight world title defenses before relinquishing the strap to Brooks in their first meeting at ONE 164.

'The Passion' ultimately had this third reign with the strap following Brooks' disqualification loss at ONE 166: Qatar, a win the Filipino superstar has since reflected on.

Tickets for ONE 171 are available at Q-Tickets.

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Joshua Pacio is confident his rehabbed knee will more than hold up in his trilogy against Jarred Brooks

Joshua Pacio is ready to unleash his fullest potential in the most important fight of his career.

The strawweight MMA king came off a long process of surgery and rehabilitation to fix his injured knee, heading into his unification match against Brooks for the undisputed ONE strawweight MMA world title.

In an interview with ONE Championship, Pacio said:

"That’s all I wanted. It took all my fears away; it took all my hesitations away. There’s no fear of aggravating it anymore. I have a peace of mind this time around that I can wrestle, grapple, strike, work on my conditioning and game without thinking about anything."