Joshua Pacio reclaimed the ONE Strawweight MMA World Title in his most recent outing, but the Filipino superstar believes he still needs to prove that he’s the true king of the division. At ONE 166: Qatar earlier this month, Pacio won back the coveted crown after Jarred Brooks was disqualified for an illegal slam in the first round of their World Title battle.

It was an anticlimactic end to the latest chapter of their heated rivalry, especially after they fought through five thrilling rounds in their first encounter in late 2022. Both men came into the match in Qatar wanting to score a decisive finish, as was evident in their short-lived rematch.

Joshua Pacio weighs in on his recent DQ win against Jarred Brooks

While speaking exclusively to EssentiallySports, Pacio revealed that mindset powered him through the preparation for his fateful meeting with Brooks – and it will help fuel him whenever they get scheduled to meet again. “This is the hardest training camp I’ve ever been in, pushing myself to be my absolute best with Kuya Eduard and the rest of Lions Nation MMA,” he said.

“It’s unfortunate that all that work ended in just one minute, but, like I said, after that first match against Jarred, I want to show the people how good Joshua Pacio is. I want to be better than the last time I entered the cage. And, I can promise you, I will work as hard or even more in this trilogy fight against Jarred Brooks.”

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The result of his match with “The Monkey God” has been called controversial by some, but there is little doubt that the bout-ending slam was dangerously close to a career-ending one for Pacio.

As such, the Filipino superstar is in no rush to return to competition – though he feels he will be eager to get right back to work as soon as he deems himself ready.

“I want to stay active. I want to compete as soon as possible. We are professionals, Jarred Brooks is a showman, and if he sells the fight again, I have no problem with it,” he said.

“People see him talking, and that’s why people are inclined to watch us fight. So, why not? But I think this is also God’s way of telling me to be more careful, more cautious, and just slow down for a bit. Whatever the doctors tell me to do, I will follow, because I want to get back to 110 percent. By God’s grace, we’ll get there. But surely, I can’t wait to fight Jarred Brooks again.”

No Bad Blood as Jarred Brooks and Joshua Pacio Share a Meal Following Controversial Match at ONE 166

Pacio talks about aimed trilogy against “The Monkey God”

Now that he sits on top of the division, it would also be easy for Pacio to seek a new challenge from any of the capable strawweight contenders hungry for a shot at gold.

But the 28-year-old is solely focused on putting a cap on his rivalry with Brooks to make it clear who truly deserves to sit on the throne.

“There’s no other opponent I have in mind than Jarred,” Pacio said.

“We always say we want to be the best. And to be the best, you have to beat the best. I consider myself as the best in our weight division, and he considers himself the best. There’s just really no other fight I have in mind, and I think both of us and the world deserve to see that trilogy.”

How do you believe the trilogy fight would end between the two? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

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