“Why not?” - Undisputed strawweight MMA king Joshua Pacio won’t say no to a shot at two-division supremacy

Now back as the undisputed ONE strawweight MMA world champion, Joshua Pacio is looking forward to upcoming challenges, including the possibility of vying for the flyweight championship belt.

"The Passion' shared this in an interview with The MMA Superfan following his victory at ONE 171: Qatar on Feb. 20 at the Lusail Sports Arena, where he solidified his standing as the strawweight division's top dog with a second-round TKO of American rival Jarred Brooks in their unification bout.

Asked if he is open to going up to flyweight and take a shot at the division's championship belt, Pacio said:

"But if I am given the chance to fight for the flyweight belt, why not? But for me, it’s not the main priority."

Watch the interview below:

Currently, the flyweight MMA world title is vacant after former champion and MMA legend Demetrious Johnson retired back in September. It is, however, to be disputed next month in Japan by top contenders Adriano Moraes and Yuya Wakamatsu.

As he waits for the opportunity to vie for the flyweight belt, Pacio will continue focusing on the strawweight lane, which he has dominated for the most part since coming on board ONE Championship in 2016.

The full replay of ONE 171: Qatar is available via watch.onefc.com.

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Chatri Sityodtong touts Joshua Pacio as best strawweight fighter in the world

ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong came away impressed with the TKO win of Joshua Pacio at ONE 171: Qatar. He touted it as solidifying the Filipino champion's standing as the best strawweight fighter in the world right now.

The ONE executive spoke about it during the post-event press conference for the latest Qatar event of ONE Championship. He highlighted the impressive fashion through which the Lions Nation MMA standout unified the strawweight championship belts.

Sityodtong said:

"I think for sure, Joshua cemented his status as the number one strawweight in the world. There's no question about that. Yeah, that was an epic performance."

At ONE 171, Joshua Pacio bucked early trouble against erstwhile interim titleholder Jarred Brooks, hitting his stride in the second round with his striking, which he capped off with a ferocious ground and pound for the win.

For the TKO win, he also earned a first-ever $50,000 performance bonus from Sityodtong.