WATCH: Filipino superstar Joshua Pacio gets his revenge in dominant world title win over Yoshitaka Naito in Jakarta

Filipino MMA standout Joshua Pacio ascended to superstar status after capturing the ONE strawweight MMA world championship at ONE: Conquest of Heroes in September 2018.

Riding a three-fight winning streak, 'The Passion' set his sights on 26 pounds of strawweight MMA gold held by then-reigning king Yoshitaka Naito — the same man he failed to dethrone in October 2016.

Fueled by his past failure, Pacio produced the performance of a lifetime against 'Nobita' and became the new king of the 125-pound MMA division by unanimous decision.

Relive their world title tilt below, which ONE posted on YouTube:

Pacio's first reign was cut short in January 2019 after Yosuke Saruta edged him out on the scorecards via split decision. They rematched in April of that year, with Pacio reclaiming the crown thanks to a sensational knockout and repeated the feat in their September 2021 trilogy clash.

Coincidence or not, Pacio has a thing for rivalries over the strawweight MMA world championship since he is currently embroiled in one with American wrestler Jarred Brooks.

With their head-to-head record standing at one win apiece, their trilogy bout will occur at ONE 171: Qatar on Feb. 20 at the Lusail Sports Arena in Lusail, Qatar.

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Joshua Pacio reflects on the difficulties of injury rehab

Joshua Pacio spent most of 2024 on the sidelines to rehab from a torn ACL he suffered prior his second world title fight with Jarred Brooks last March at ONE 161.

Speaking recently with ONE, the Lions Nation MMA product talked about his recovery, saying:

"The worst thing that can happen to an athlete are injuries. But at the end of the day, I still thank God for the healing. I'm 100 percent back. I've recovered well. I'm back training, and that's all I ask for."

Fans can purchase tickets for ONE 171 via Q-Tickets.