WATCH: A look back at the chaotic rivalry between strawweight MMA royalty Joshua Pacio and Jarred Brooks ahead of ONE 171

ONE strawweight MMA world champion Joshua Pacio and interim king Jarred Brooks' rivalry over the division's top prize perfectly encapsulates why fans view ONE Championship's 125-pound MMA division as one of the best in the world.

'The Passion' and Brooks first fought in the main event of ONE 164 in December 2022, where the latter aimed to capture his first-ever ONE world championship by taking the undisputed crown from the Filipino in front of his countrymen. Thanks to his strong ground game, Brooks pulled off the upset via unanimous decision.

The rematch occurred at ONE 166: Qatar in March 2024. However, it ended in under a minute after 'The Monkey God' accidentally slammed Pacio on his head during a takedown attempt, which is illegal under ONE's global ruleset. As such, Pacio reclaimed the gold via disqualification.

Rewatch both fights in full below, which ONE posted on YouTube:

With them having traded wins and reigns over the strawweight MMA world championship, the third chapter of their rivalry is set to go down in the co-main event of ONE 171: Qatar on Thursday, Feb. 20. The Lusail Sports Arena in Lusail, Qatar, will host the event.

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Lito Adiwang makes his pick between Joshua Pacio, Jarred Brooks for trilogy showdown

ONE strawweight MMA mainstay Lito Adiwang is looking forward to Joshua Pacio and Jarred Brooks' winner-takes-all 125-pound MMA world championship unification bout at ONE 171.

Speaking with combat sports journalist Nick Atkin ahead of his matchup with Keito Yamakita at ONE Fight Night 28 last Friday, Feb. 7, 'Thunder Kid' shared who he will be rooting for:

"Of course, I'd go for my kababayan, supporting Joshua [Pacio] for this. For me, I wish him all the best, and I hope they'll bring their A-Game. And yeah, after the fight, no injuries."

Watch the full interview here: