"I don't think I lost" - Mansur Malachiev insists he should have gotten his hand raised against Joshua Pacio
Mansur Malachiev still feels there was some injustice in his unanimous decision loss to reigning strawweight MMA world champion Joshua Pacio last year.
The Dagestani hotshot made this clear in the aftermath of his unanimous decision victory against Bokang Masunyane at ONE Fight Night 25 last Oct. 4 at Bangkok's Lumpinee Stadium.
The fifth-ranked strawweight, who will likely move up the rankings after beating the No. 2 'Little Giant', told the Bangkok Post's Nick Atkin in his post-event interview:
"I’ve mentioned that for me, the belt is the most important. So it doesn’t really matter, Brooks or Joshua. I don’t think I lost last time against Joshua. I think I won, but his hand was raised."
After making a statement in his ONE debut by beating Jeremy Miado, Malachiev got paired with Pacio at ONE Fight Night 15.
Despite scoring multiple takedowns and top control on the ground, the judges favored 'The Passion's striking and submission attempts off his back, awarding him the decision win.
Mansur Malachiev, meanwhile, has scored back-to-back victories after absorbing the first loss of his MMA career.
The Russian may just very well be next in line, once Pacio and interim champ Jarred Brooks unify the belts.
Mansur Malachiev says he'll get the judges out of the equation in possible Joshua Pacio rematch
Mansur Malachiev has learned from that loss to Pacio and vowed to take matters into his own hands.
As far as the Universal Fighters product is concerned, he must finish the Filipino champion decisively and claim 26 pounds of gold once their paths cross anew.
Malachiev said in the same interview:
"Next time, if I fight with him, I'll make sure to make it easier for the judges to give me the victory."
The replay of ONE Fight Night 25 is available on demand for Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.
Watch the full interview: