Mansur Malachiev doesn’t have a preference between Joshua Pacio or Jarred Brooks: “I don’t care who I need to fight”
Mansur Malachiev doesn't care whether he fights Joshua Pacio or Jarred Brooks, so long as it leads him to ONE Championship gold.
Returning to martial arts' biggest global stage at ONE Fight Night 25 on Prime Video, the Russian strawweight standout scored his biggest win yet, besting second-ranked contender Bokang Masunyane to establish himself as a legitimate challenger for the division's top prize.
As it stands, there are two champions at strawweight—interim titleholder Jarred 'The Monkey God' Brooks and reigning undisputed world champion Joshua Pacio. Currently, Pacio is on the shelf while nursing an ACL injury, but once he's cleared for return, he'll likely settle some business with Brooks.
Once that's taken care of, the winner will likely be tasked with taking on Mansur Malachiev.
Asked who he'd rather face between Pacio and Brooks, Malachiev told Nick Atkin:
"All my relatives, all my fans, everybody knows that I am coming here for the big victory and I have another focus. I just want to be the winner and get the belt, I don’t care who I need to fight."
If you missed any of the action, ONE Championship fans in the United States and Canada can watch the ONE Fight Night 25 replay on demand via Amazon Prime Video.
Who will Mansur Malachiev inevitably fight for the ONE strawweight MMA world title?
In March, 'The Monkey God' surrendered the undisputed title to Joshua Pacio less than 60 seconds into their rematch at ONE 166 after Brooks inadvertently spiked Pacio onto the top of his head during a takedown attempt. Deemed an illegal maneuver, Brooks was disqualified and Pacio was once again crowned the undisputed champion.
Fortunately, Pacio didn't suffer any significant injuries from the spike. Still, he aggravated a pre-existing injury that forced him to undergo surgery, prompting the promotion to institute an interim title which Brooks won with a slick first-round submission victory over Gustavo Balart at ONE Fight Night 24.
Depending on how long Pacio will be out, Brooks could end up defending the interim belt against Malachiev. If not, Malachiev is all but guaranteed a shot at the winner come 2025.
Who would you rather see Malachiev fight for the strawweight MMA world title when the time comes?