"That's what I think I learned" - Joshua Pacio details biggest lesson in latest battle with knee injury

ONE strawweight MMA world champion Joshua Pacio faced the rigors of rehabbing a torn ACL in his right knee for the better part of 2024. Luckily, the Filipino combat sports star has a strong support system around him.

In an interview with The MMA Super Fan, 'The Passion' thanked his inner circle for giving him the extra push he needed to fully recover from his most significant injury yet:

"That's what I think I learned through my experience as a fighter, it's that one should always be prepared to be mentally ready. I would also like to thank all the people who helped me to be mentally prepared. You guys know who you are."

Watch the entire interview below:

Pacio suffered the injury while training for his world title rematch with then-reigning 125-pound MMA king Jarred Brooks at ONE 166: Qatar in March.

The Lions Nation MMA affiliate reclaimed the crown he lost to 'The Monkey God' via disqualification after Brooks inadvertently spiked Pacio's head into the mat during a takedown attempt barely a minute into their bout.

The move is illegal under ONE's ruleset, and referee Herb Dean ultimately ruled it as such, giving Pacio the win and 26 pounds of strawweight MMA gold.

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Joshua Pacio, Jarred Brooks trilogy encounter set for ONE 171

Joshua Pacio and Jarred Brooks, who won the interim strawweight MMA world championship in August, will have their unification bout in the co-main event of ONE 171: Qatar on Feb. 20, 2025.

The event will occur inside the Lusail Sports Arena — the same venue where they had their anticlimactic rematch.

With undisputed strawweight MMA gold on the line, fans can expect Pacio and Brooks' third encounter to be a strong contender for ONE's MMA bout of the year.