"I heard him loud and clear" - Joshua Pacio responds to Jarred Brooks callout following interim world title win
Newly crowned ONE interim strawweight MMA world champion Jarred Brooks called out reigning ONE strawweight MMA king Joshua Pacio after his victory at ONE Fight Night 24 earlier this month. The Filipino star has since responded.
Pacio, who is deep in his rehab to recover from a partially torn ACL, recently spoke with BJPenn.com and said:
"I heard him loud and clear. I'm doing my best in my recovery. I'm just here, Jarred. Wait for me, I'm not going anywhere."
In December 2022, 'The Monkey God' pulled off a massive upset when he dethroned Pacio via unanimous decision in front of his home crowd in Manila, Philippines, to win his first-ever ONE world championship.
But their rematch in March this year at ONE 166: Qatar, 'The Passion' reclaimed the 26 pounds of strawweight MMA gold as Brooks was disqualified due to an illegal slam only seconds into their scheduled five-round war.
The Mash Fight Team star, however, bounced back by winning the ONE interim strawweight MMA world championship with a rear-naked choke submission of Gustavo Balart at ONE Fight Night 24 on August 2, which puts him and Pacio on a collision course for a third time.
Jarred Brooks expects all-time classic in third encounter with Joshua Pacio
Jarred Brooks expects Joshua Pacio to give him his best shot when they inevitably share the circle for a third time over the undisputed ONE strawweight MMA world championship.
In an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda MMA, Brooks stated:
"It's good to hear that Joshua Pacio still has his sights on that trilogy fight. I really like that because I know this trilogy fight is going to be huge. I can see it being a better fight than the last two, for sure. So, all I got to say is that may the best man win."
Fans in the United States and Canada with an active Prime Video subscription can watch the ONE Fight Night 24 replay for free.