“The energy of the Filipino people is unmatched” - Joshua Pacio on his December 3 return to MOA Arena

ONE strawweight world champion Joshua Pacio is ready to battle Jarred Brooks in his backyard.

Pacio will make his much-anticipated return to Manila when he defends his gold against Brooks at ONE 164: Pacio vs. Brooks on December 3 at Mall of Asia Arena.

The strawweight king hasn’t fought in front of his home nation in more than two years and his world title defense against Brooks will be the first time he steps inside the Manila Stadium since his January 2020 win against Alex Silva.

A lengthy absence from the Philippine capital had dampened Pacio’s spirit but that’s about to change and the Team Lakay star is pumped to be fighting again in front of thousands of his home fans.

Joshua Pacio, who hails from Baguio City, said in an interview with ONE Championship:

“Filipino fans should be excited because we have a lot of surprises when ONE Championship returns to Manila on December 3. The last Joshua Pacio you saw a year ago is gone. There’s a different Joshua Pacio now. I’m a much better fighter than before.”

He added:

“I’m super excited because I’ve fought all over the world in many different stadiums, but nothing can compare to Manila. The energy of the Filipino people is unmatched. It’s just a different aura.”

Pacio, who’s in the running for the organization’s greatest ever strawweight, has been invincible at MOA Arena. He is 7-0 at MOA with six of those wins coming via a knockout or a submission.

His win over Silva also completed his run of beating every former ONE strawweight world champion.

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Joshua Pacio wants Team Lakay teammates to feature at ONE 164

While Joshua Pacio’s fight against Brooks is the only fight announced for ONE 164 yet, that doesn’t stop the Filipino star to wish for a dream card for his stable Team Lakay.

In the same interview, Pacio said he hopes that his teammates also get to fight at ONE Championship’s return party to Manila.

ONE Championship has staged events exclusively at the MOA Arena for the past few years, and Pacio believes that Team Lakay should dominate the December card. Pacio said:

“Hopefully, we get to see a lot of our other Filipinos compete on the card, like my teammates Eduard Folayang, Stephen Loman, Jeremy Pacatiw, Kevin Belingon, and Geje Eustaquio. Some of them haven’t fought in months, so it’s time to see them back in action.”

The 26-year-old added that apart from a victory over Brooks, another thing he wants is to grab hold of ONE Championship’s newly designed world title.

A win over the No.1-ranked strawweight contender would earn him the 26.4-pound gold strap that was unveiled before ONE X this past March. Pacio said:

“I’m excited to get that shiny new belt. It’s a gorgeous new design and super huge. I would love to bring that back home here in Baguio City.”