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Joshua Pacio sensed something was amiss with nemesis Jarred Brooks during their ONE strawweight MMA world title unification contest, which headlined the promotion's epic return to the Middle East, ONE 171: Qatar, on Feb. 20.
Speaking to Circle-side color commentator Mitch Chilson moments after coming out on top in their trilogy showdown via a second-round TKO, 'The Passion' declared:
"Honestly, I'm ready to go full five rounds with Jarred. But I know there was something wrong with him."
While he stayed humble in victory, take nothing away from 'The Passion' – he truly made the most of his chance to shine, dishing out a courageous performance to turn things around inside the Lusail Sports Arena.
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Joshua Pacio turns the tide to finish Jarred Brooks in Qatar
The Lions Nation MMA athlete survived a nail-biting first round and lived up to his moniker in the next to emerge victorious at ONE 171: Qatar.
Brooks, the interim champ, was all gas and no brakes in the first five minutes. The Mash Fight Team representative threw everything but the kitchen sink in search of an early finish.
One submission after the other – nothing truly dented the Filipino warrior as he went back to his corner, ready to tango for another five minutes. Brooks, on the other hand, looked a bit weary after exhausting himself with a chain of locks and chokes.
Though Brooks was back to his aggressive ways to kick things off in the second round, Pacio soon tipped the scales in his favor in some fashion.
The 29-year-old got the upper hand on the canvas off a Brooks takedown and threw a barrage of strikes that came at full force.
The American hung on, but despite his best attempts to find a solution to oncoming traffic, Joshua Pacio had him glued near the Circle fence.
From there, he continued swarming his opposite numbers with missiles that eventually brought an end to their rubber match at 4:22 of the second round.
Joshua Pacio's triumph at ONE 171: Qatar gave him a 2-1 lead in their series. 'The Passion' (23-4) was also rewarded with a US$50,000 performance bonus for the 18th finish of his career.
The entire card's replay is available to fight fans at watch.onefc.com.
