“That’s our job” – Joshua Pacio says it’s his responsibility to put on a show at ONE 166: Qatar

Former ONE strawweight MMA world champion Joshua Pacio is excited to be part of ONE Championship’s debut live event in Qatar next month, and he has vowed to do his job by giving an exemplary performance.

‘The Passion’ will try to seize back the strawweight championship belt from reigning divisional king Jarred Brooks in a title rematch at ONE 166: Qatar on March 1.

The Lions Nation MMA standout is looking to exact payback on ‘The Monkey God’ after he was dethroned in their first title clash in December 2022 by unanimous decision.

In an interview with The MMA Superfan, Joshua Pacio shared the mindset he has heading into the rematch with Brooks, particularly on what is expected of them, saying:

“This is our job, this is our livelihood. We’re here to show and fight, that’s our job.”

Pacio was last in action in October where he scored a bounce-back win by unanimous decision over Russian Mansur Malachiev.

For his part, Jarred Brooks fell short in his bid to become a two-sport ONE world champion after losing by submission to reigning ONE flyweight grappling king Mikey Musumeci in their all-champion clash in August.

ONE 166: Qatar will take place at the Lusail Sports Arena and air live on March 1 via global pay-per-view on watch.onefc.com.

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Joshua Pacio looking forward to Filipino fan support at ONE 166: Qatar

Apart from the opportunity to get back the ONE strawweight MMA world title he lost, Joshua Pacio is looking forward to experiencing the Filipino community’s support in Qatar for ONE 166 next month.

The 28-year-old Baguio City native is featured at ONE 166, which is ONE Championship’s debut live event in Qatar on March 1. He will try to become a world champion against reigning strawweight king Jarred Brooks in a title rematch.

Come fight night, Pacio said he will be banking on Filipino support, which he believes will come for him in Qatar. He said on the same interview with The MMA Superfan:

“I also expected this a bit because whatever the venue that ONE Championship chooses, there’s always gonna be a ton of Filipinos. Be it Thailand, Singapore, U.S., you should expect that there will be Filipinos, especially in the U.S.”

Joshua Pacio first took on Brooks in December 2022 in Manila, but lost the world title he long held by unanimous decision to ‘The Monkey God'.

He has since bounced back from the defeat, winning in his last fight over Russian Mansur Malachiev in October by decision.