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WWE Superstar and Commentator Corey Graves Impressed by Joshua Pacio’s Knockout of Yosuke Saruta

Published 10/05/2021, 5:52 AM EDT

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Spectacular knockouts always inspire. They captivate audiences and excite anyone watching. WWE superstar and commentator Corey Graves witnessed Joshua Pacio’s thrilling first-round technical knockout victory over Japanese rival Yosuke Saruta at ONE: Revolution and instantly became a fan.

Pacio absolutely destroyed Saruta, taking home the decisive victory in their third and perhaps final showdown. The Filipino sensation looked sharp and powerful, and as soon as he had Saruta hurt, he finished the demolition job quickly and mercifully.

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The highlight reel sequence caught Graves’ eye, and he took to Twitter to express his awe.

“First time watching @joshua_pacio at #OneRevolution. It WON’T be the last! Wow! @ONEChampionship,” Graves tweeted.

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Joshua Pacio retained his ONE Strawweight World Title in epic fashion, remaining the only Filipino current mixed martial arts world champion to date.

Considering it was Pacio’s first time back in action in nearly two years, the Filipino looked absolutely incredible. With the victory, Pacio closes the book on his trilogy with Saruta and moves on to face other more pressing challengers.

On the horizon are top five contenders such as Bokang Masunyane, Hiroba Minowa, and Alex Silva, as well as fringe contender, former UFC star, Jarred “The Monkey God” Brooks. These are all worthy tests for the young Team Lakay stalwart, but Pacio says he’s interested in closing the book on another trilogy.

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Pacio wants the third fight with Yoshitaka Naito, the man he took the belt from in 2018. Pacio and Naito both have a win over the other, and a third bout would settle it and break the tie.

“If I were to choose who to face next, it would definitely be Yoshitaka Naito. They say Team Lakay has a curse when it comes to closing out trilogies. I proved that wrong against Saruta, and I want to prove it again,” Pacio said.

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ONE Championship returns on Friday, October 15, with ONE: First Strike, featuring a battle for the inaugural ONE Featherweight Kickboxing World Championship between Giorgio “The Doctor” Petrosyan and Superbon. Also, the quarterfinal round of the ONE Featherweight Kickboxing World Grand Prix commences with eight of the best kickboxers in the world.

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Written by:

Arman Khan

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Arman Khan is a UFC author for EssentiallySports. He began following combat sports when Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor competed in 'The Money Fight' in 2017. 'The Notorious' attracted Arman to the UFC and he became an ardent fan of professional fighting as he could draw parallels with the action from his combat sports experience and break down techniques such as striking and striking defense lucidly for the casual fans.
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