“Time to prove it” - Joshua Pacio eager to unify the strawweight MMA belts versus Jarred Brooks to silence his critics

Joshua Pacio cannot control his detractors' criticism about the way he won the ONE strawweight MMA world title. As far as 'The Passion' is concerned, the only way to erase all doubts is to decisively win his grudge match with interim champ Jarred Brooks and unify the 125-pound MMA division's belts this coming Thursday.

One of the most highly-awaited trilogies will commence inside Lusail Sports Arena, where Pacio will rekindle his longstanding rivalry with 'The Monkey God' in a five-round clash at ONE 171: Qatar.

The Filipino warrior initially lost his 26 pounds of gold to Brooks in 2022. The rematch at ONE 166 last year was clouded with controversy after the American was disqualified for an illegal slam.

While 'The Passion' certainly didn't want to reclaim his championship in that manner, he also addressed the unfair criticism he's been getting.

The Lions Nation MMA affiliate told ONE Championship:

"I don’t really listen to what people say, on whether I’m the true champion or not. But in each sport, there are rules that we follow. Without it, you know there’d be chaos."

The 29-year-old star furthered:

"Unfortunately, it ended that way, it’s not the finish I wanted, not how I wanted to get the belt, but we have to follow the rules. Now it’s the time to prove it."

Joshua Pacio bringing a stronger mindset in third meeting with Jarred Brooks

Joshua Pacio admits his mental fortitude was tested after enduring a career-threatening knee injury.

Apart from making sure his body is back to 100 percent, 'The Passion' said he also used the time off to build a stronger mindset and belief in himself.

In the same interview, Joshua Pacio guaranteed that Brooks would face a completely different fighter this time around.

"The thing that I want to show is a fighter that isn’t scared of what’s gonna happen in the ring. A fighter that isn’t scared to get taken down. A fighter that isn’t scared to get put in a precarious position on the ground. I want to show that I know what to do now."

For more details about ONE 171: Qatar, visit watch.onefc.com.