Josh Pacio reclaimed his ONE Strawweight MMA championship in one of the most bizarre ways possible at ONE 166. After losing his title to Darren ‘The Monkey God’ Brooks in convincing fashion at their ONE 164 championship clash, the Filipino had a lot to prove. But things took a bizarre turn and Pacio has opened up about the same in an exclusive interview with EssentiallySports.

Determined to reclaim his title, Pacio came into their rematch with new strategies. He was met with an equally determined Brooks, who came out of the gate firing. This aggressiveness, however, ended up backfiring after he slammed ‘The Passion’ on his head and followed it up with punches until referee Herb Dean stopped the fight. Brooks, already celebrating, however, was left in shock after he was told that he had executed an illegal slam and had thus, lost the fight and his belt.

Joshua Pacio does not blame Brooks for illegal slam

On being asked if he was surprised at the intensity with which Brooks came out, Pacio said in his EssentiallySports exclusive that he had been expecting it, having learned from their first fight. “I know that we were both going to bring it, with him being a proud champion and me the hungry challenger. I know his strength from our first fight and I also knew I had to match it, if not do more than him,” he said.

While their bout ended in unexpected fashion, Pacio did not blame Brooks for it and felt it was a genuine accident. He felt that Brooks was competitive but would not stoop to cheating to win the fight and found nothing wrong with the former champion’s aggressiveness.

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“It’s hard to say because instances like that are accidents and no fighter wants that to happen. I know Jarred is not a dirty fighter and as much as he wants to win the match, he won’t do anything intentional to hurt me or any opponent of his. I also can’t fault him for his aggressiveness as we’re in this sport of MMA. All I can say is as much as we understand the dangers of this sport, we don’t want anything of those degree to happen to our opponents,” he added.

Brooks and Pacio share meal after controversial ONE 166 bout

Although their ONE 166 rematch ended disastrously due to an illegal slam, the two men shared a meal the next morning in a display of sportsmanship and camaraderie. Both men seemed in good spirits and the mutual respect was apparent from their interaction and body language.

While it is good to see the two get along, the way their fight ended has left a lot to be desired. Needless to say, they will run it back to resolve their rivalry once and for all, with Pacio hoping for a 2024 booking in the Philippines. “For me it’s unfinished business. I want the trilogy to be this year. I’m hoping it would be in the Philippines,” Pacio said in a recent interview with EssentiallySports.

Joshua Pacio Breaks Down Scary Spike Against Jarred Brooks at ONE 166: Qatar