MMA News: Joshua Pacio Hopes To Have Next Fight In Home Country

Reigning ONE strawweight champion Joshua Pacio hopes that the promotion will have a live event in his home country of the Philippines once the pandemic lets up a bit.

Pacio spoke about his career aspirations and how much he wants to fight in front of his compatriots again.

“For my career, it’s still the same–continue improving and make sure I continue to defend the World Titles. I hope to defend it in front of the fans here in the Philippines,” Pacio said as quoted by ONE Championship.

The 25-year-old Filipino is enjoying an extended break after defeating fierce rival Yosuke Saruta for the second time in their trilogy rubber match last September at ONE: Revolution.

Pacio has held the strawweight title since April 2019 after defeating fellow countryman Rene Catalan for his second reign with the belt, after dropping it to Saruta in January 2019.

His next challenger could come in the form of the winner between promotion newcomer Jarred Brooks and Hiroba Minowa, who will fight for the right to potentially face Pacio when they meet at ONE: Only The Brave on January 28.

Brooks had been calling out Pacio for some time now, with "The Passion" neglecting to engage in the mind games with the American as he awaits who the Singapore-based promotion will have him face next.

The Team Lakay standout also shared his admiration for the successful debuts of his teammates Stephen Loman and Jhanlo Sangiao while also lamenting the losses of Kevin Belingon and Danny Kingad at ONE: Winter Warriors II in December.

“Everything is a blessing for us, both wins and losses, because we get to assess what we lack and what we can work on. We’ve been working and improving on our weaknesses, and that’s something that we will show next year–a team filled with more well-rounded MMA athletes,” Pacio remarked.

Sangiao’s proficiency in both the stand-up game and on the ground is the best example of what Pacio referred to, as the 19-year-old picked up the win over Indonesia’s Paul Lumihi with a rear-naked choke.

Team Lakay has become famous in ONE Championship for its ability to produce high-caliber strikers but not much success on the ground.

Sangiao, alongside former world champion Loman, looks to buck the trend as he goes on his own journey within ONE Championship.

As for Pacio, he will be closely watching the fight between Brooks and Minowa as both fighters are carrying winning streaks of their own, with a win over the other furthering their cases of challenging for the title he holds.