Joshua Pacio “super excited” to compete for Filipino fans at ONE 166: Qatar

Joshua Pacio is gearing up for a shot at redemption, and it’s happening thousands of miles away from his homeland.

At ONE 166: Qatar on March 1, the Filipino superstar challenges Jarred Brooks for the American’s ONE Strawweight MMA World Title in a much-awaited rematch.

The five-round battle takes place at the state-of-the-art Lusail Sports Arena. But it doesn’t mean Pacio will be devoid of his compatriot’s support.

Despite the venue being far from the Philippines, Pacio won’t find himself in a shortage of enthusiastic Filipino supporters.

Qatar is home to over 260,000 Filipinos. So it will undoubtedly provide a familiar atmosphere for “The Passion.”

“I feel so honored and blessed for this opportunity. I miss fighting in the Philippines, and I think the atmosphere will be the same when I perform on March 1 because for sure, many Filipinos will get to watch the event,” he said.

The Lions Nation MMA representative has already connected with his fans in the Gulf nation, sensing their eagerness to stand by him on fight night.

“I am super excited. When the bout was announced a few months ago, I already felt the support from the Filipinos over there through social media,” Pacio said.

“I get tagged a lot, and whenever I look up their profiles, I’d find out that they’re from Qatar.”

With the majority of the audience expected to cheer him on, Pacio sees this as an opportunity to settle the score with Brooks.

The initial clash took place in December 2022. It had fans on the edge of their seats from bell to bell.

In the end, Brooks emerged victorious by a close unanimous decision, leaving Pacio with a bitter taste of defeat.

But instead of succumbing to disappointment, Pacio is using the setback as fuel to propel himself to victory in the upcoming rematch.

“I lost in a fight that I didn’t even showcase my absolute best. That disappointment lingered within me for a long time. Now, I’m turning that disappointment into my fuel for this fight,” he said.

“I know the lapses I committed in the first fight, and in the rematch, I aim to rectify them.”

Joshua Pacio foresees decisive win over Jarred Brooks

As the countdown to ONE 166: Qatar begins, Joshua Pacio remains focused on more than reclaiming the ONE Strawweight MMA World Title.

The 28-year-old also wants to put on a winning performance. In fact, he wants to pay homage to the support he receives from his Filipino fans in the Middle East.

“I see two things — it’s either I win by knockout or I win by decision,” he said.

“Jarred Brooks is no pushover. He can strike, and he can wrestle. But I’m prepared wherever the fight goes. It’s just that I either win by knockout or I win by decision.”