Lito Adiwang suggests interim strawweight MMA match if Joshua Pacio won't be medically cleared
Lito Adiwang believes ONE Championship should consider implementing an interim strawweight MMA world title depending on Joshua Pacio's recovery time.
On March 1, Pacio challenged then-world champion Jarred Brooks for the ONE strawweight MMA throne. 'The Passion' was focused on regaining ONE gold, but he would've preferred to earn the accolade a different way, as Brooks was disqualified for spiking the Filipino superstar on his head.
Nonetheless, Pacio is the ONE strawweight MMA king, and he's ready to extend his legacy with more title defenses. Unfortunately, the 28-year-old could be sidelined longer than expected due to the effects of his injury suffered at ONE 166: Qatar.
Assuming Pacio is sidelined indefinitely, which isn't confirmed, strawweight MMA contender Lito Adiwang suggested an interim world title be utilized. Adiwang had this to say during an interview with Sportskeeda MMA:
"If Joshua will take time to recover then I think the best is to have an interim fight to see who will fight Joshua once he is back."
Watch the fight-ending sequence of the rematch between Brooks and Pacio below:
Would Lito Adiwang be featured in potential interim strawweight MMA world title fight?
Lito Adiwang suffered a severe ACL tear in March 2022 that put his fighting career in jeopardy. Since then, 'Thunder Kid' has defied the odds and bounced back with consecutive wins against Adrian Mattheis, Jeremy Miado, and Danial Williams.
Although he's unranked, Adiwang could receive the call to fight for the hypothetical ONE strawweight MMA world title. Assuming he gets the opportunity, the question is, who would the 31-year-old face?
The front-runner would have to be former strawweight king Jarred Brooks. Before losing against Joshua Pacio by DQ, 'The Monkey God' terrorized the division with four consecutive wins against Adiwang, Hiroba Minowa, Bokang Masunyane, and 'The Passion.'
Meanwhile, Masunyane and Gustavo Balart have established impressive winning streaks to potentially earn a title shot. 'Little Giant' is riding a two-fight victory run, while Balart has won four consecutive bouts.
Only time will tell if Pacio needs an interim title-holder while he recovers from his injury.