WATCH: The scary end to what would've been an absolute world title barnburner between rivals Jarred Brooks, Joshua Pacio
The championship rematch between Jarred Brooks and Joshua Pacio for the ONE strawweight MMA world title went down last March 1 at ONE 166: Qatar card inside the Lusail Sports Arena.
ONE Championship recently reposted the fight highlights on their Instagram account with the caption:
"CHAOS ensued when Jarred Brooks and Joshua Pacio rematched at ONE 166! 😰 Who wants to see these warriors throw down once more for the ONE Strawweight MMA World Title? @the_monkeygod @joshuapacio"
This intense rivalry between 'The Monkey God' and 'The Passion' had its second installment, but it had an anti-climactic finish this time.
Brooks quickly used his superior grappling skills to take Pacio's back early into the opening round, but he miscalculated his slam and accidentally spiked his head first on the canvas, which was an illegal technique under the promotion.
At first, the American star thought he got away with a TKO finish against the Filipino, but he then realized that referee Herb Dean called off the fight in favor of Pacio via disqualification.
It was Brooks' first MMA defeat in the world's largest martial arts organization after sweeping his first four assignments.
Jarred Brooks claimed the division's interim title while waiting for Joshua Pacio to recover
Apart from the neck injury he sustained during that fight, Pacio also suffered another injury that will sideline him for an extended period. This prompted ONE Championship to create an interim world title fight in the division to keep the weight class moving.
Last August at ONE Fight Night 24, Brooks was booked to fight Gustavo Balart for the ONE interim strawweight title. The Mash Fight Team representative proved he is on another level by submitting the Cuban wrestling powerhouse in under one round to claim the world title and set up a unification match with the Lions Nation MMA athlete once he fully recovers.