WATCH: The unfortunate finish to Jarred Brooks' highly anticipated rematch against rival Joshua Pacio

Jarred Brooks (left) and Joshua Pacio (right) [Photo via: ONE Championship]
Jarred Brooks (left) and Joshua Pacio (right) [Photo via: ONE Championship]

ONE Championship debuted in Qatar with ONE 166 and a handful of rematches headlining the card, with Jarred Brooks' defense of the ONE strawweight MMA world championship being one of them.

'The Monkey God' took hold of the top spot in the division when he upended Joshua Pacio for it back in December 2022, thanks to a stellar display of raw wrestling power plus a polished boxing arsenal.

It would take some time before the rematch was announced, and once it was revealed for ONE 166, fans were chomping at the bit to witness another epic five-rounder.

Once the opening bell rang, the two strawweight stars immediately engaged with each other to establish the pace of the bout.

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However, it ended abruptly when Brooks accidentally spiked Pacio on his head on a back suplex attempt - an illegal move under ONE Championship's Global MMA Ruleset.

Pacio would go on to retake the strawweight MMA world championship via disqualification and was fortunate enough to avoid any major injuries after a trip to the hospital.

Rewatch the ending to their world title clash below:

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Jarred Brooks spends breakfast with Joshua Pacio and his team

The morning after the unfortunate incident, Brooks decided to put their rivalry to the side first and meet with Pacio and his team, Lions Nation MMA, and Filipino fighter Jeremy Miado.

Pacio revealed in an interview that the longtime rivals had no discussions of a trilogy bout then and there but is very much open to having conversations about it down the line.

Though they are some of the most intense competitors on ONE Championship's roster, Brooks and Pacio coming together to break bread after the incident perfectly encapsulates the promotion's values, particularly that of respect for one's opponent.

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Edited by C. Naik
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