Joshua Pacio says he was never in danger against Jarred Brooks’ submissions in Qatar: “Been there a hundred times”
Joshua Pacio was never in any danger against Jarred Brooks. At least, that's what he says.
During their critically acclaimed trilogy bout at ONE 171: Qatar, Brooks scored an early takedown against Pacio and ran through a few submission attempts, including a d'arce choke and a very tight looking guillotine in the final minute of the round. But despite his best efforts, 'The Monkey God' couldn't force Pacio to tap out.
Asked how close Brooks was to finishing things in the opening round, Pacio revealed that while the guillotine had him struggling for a minute, it was nothing worse than the situations he often finds himself in while training.
"The D'arce is not actually close, maybe the guillotine and the last one is like 70 percent here. But you know, there's a lot of guys choking me out in the gym," Pacio said at the ONE 171 post-fight press conference. "I've been there a hundred times in that position, and I know the feeling. And yeah, it is what it is. I escaped it."
In the end, it was Pacio who came out on top, scoring a stunning ground-and-pound TKO against 'The Monkey God' in round two to become the undisputed ONE strawweight MMA world champion.
Joshua Pacio thrilled to silence his doubters with big win over Brooks at ONE 171: Qatar
Going into the contest, Joshua Pacio was seen as an underdog in the eyes of many.
Finally having the opportunity to silence his doubters and prove that he belongs atop the strawweight throne, 'The Passion' was overcome with joy after putting away Brooks in an emphatic fashion.
"It's just a release for me because there are a lot of people talking behind me, doubting me, [saying], 'You can't do it, you can't do it.' You know, at the end of the day, I'm just very focused on winning and training," Pacio added. "I've been through a lot because of the injuries like that, but, you know, it's just a relief. There's so much joy and happiness. That's it."
Now the only question that remains is, what's next for the new undisputed strawweight MMA king?
If you missed any of the action, you can watch the full ONE 171: Qatar replay on demand via watch.onefc.com.