“It was a double loss for him” - Lito Adiwang understands why Jarred Brooks is itching to settle the score with Joshua Pacio
Lito Adiwang said that he understands where former ONE strawweight MMA world champion Jarred Brooks is coming from in trying to get back at reigning divisional king Joshua Pacio at the soonest possible time after how their last fight ended.
American Brooks lost the strawweight gold to Filipino rival Pacio at ONE 166: Qatar on March 1, disqualified after he executed an illegal slam in the opening round that saw 'The Passion' hit his head first on the canvas. The DQ forced 'The Monkey God' to hand over the title to Pacio, from whom he took the belt in December 2022.
In a recent interview with Sportskeeda MMA, Lito Adiwang shared his thoughts on what went down at ONE 166 and the desire of Brooks to exact payback on Pacio.
The Soma Fight Club affiliate said:
"It was a double loss for him (Brooks), because he lost the belt and he had a lot of negative comments thrown his way, saying he plays dirty. I understand why Jarred is mad, but that was going to be a hell of a fight if that incident didn't happen. Both fighters are in their prime. If Jarred can't catch Joshua with a submission, it could be possible that Joshua knocks him out."
Brooks apologized to Pacio after the incident and all is well now between them. 'The Monkey God' also moved closer to reclaiming the strawweight belt after winning the interim belt back in August over Cuban Gustavo Balart and waiting for a unification title fight against Pacio when he returns from a knee injury.
Lito Adiwang relieved that Joshua Pacio escaped lifetime injury in Brooks fight
Lito Adiwang admitted that he was scared for Joshua Pacio following what he experienced against Jarred Brooks in their last encounter back in March in Qatar. But he was relieved upon learning that 'The Passion' was not seriously hurt as initially thought.
He recalled what went through his mind when he saw how Pacio fell badly following an illegal slam from Brooks last time around, telling Sportskeeda MMA in an interview:
"[After seeing what happened I thought] First it was a bad way to get the belt. Second, it could have been a lifetime injury. That's what I felt during the fight, hoping that he was alright, because for me, the belt had no meaning if he sustained a lifetime injury. So right after the fight, I messaged him and he said he's OK, so I was relieved."
Pacio, who used to be teammates with Lito Adiwang during their days at Team Lakay, only suffered a neck strain from the Brooks slam. He, however, was found to have torn his ACL even before the match with 'The Monkey God' and has since been operated on and is now recovering.