Filipino MMA fighter Joshua ‘The Passion’ Pacio makes another attempt at ONE strawweight title
FELL short in his initial quest to become world champion two years ago, Filipino mixed martial arts fighter Joshua “The Passion” Pacio hopes that his second try at the ONE Championship strawweight title turns out a success.
In Indonesia right now, Baguio native Pacio is set to face reigning world champion Yoshitaka “Nobita” Naito of Japan in the headlining fight for “ONE: Conquest of Heroes” on Saturday, Sept. 22, at the Jakarta Convention Center.
It will be the second meeting between the two after they collided in October 2016 for the title where the Japanese won by submission (rear-naked choke) in the third round to successfully defend the belt.
Mr. Pacio (12-2) said he has grown as a fighter since his first encounter with Mr. Naito (13-1) and is confident that he can perform better this time around and believes he is on a firmer spot to make things happen.
Added motivation for the 22-year-old Pacio is the possibility of bringing further pride for his Team Lakay, which boasts now of two current world champions in Geje “Gravity” Eustaquio (flyweight) and Kevin “The Silencer” Belingon (bantamweight/interim).
For his Team Lakay teammates, Mr. Pacio’s willingness to learn and follow his dreams, apart from the inherent talent he has, should serve him well as he progresses in his MMA career.
“Joshua is a diligent kid who has chased his dreams and built his career with his bare hands. Everything he has achieved today has come through hard work and dedication. You do not see that in many kids in their 20s today. It is rare,” said former ONE lightweight champion Eduard “Landslide” Folayang in an interview for the ONE Championship Website.
“The focus he has on achieving his goals is inspiring. The great thing is that he is young, and he has his whole life ahead of him. Being this good at what he does so early — it is scary to think how good he will be in the next five years,” he added.
Mr. Folayang went on to say that he is confident that their team has prepared Mr. Pacio for his upcoming fight and the outcome of the rematch with Mr. Naito could well be different.
“I am sure [Team Lakay] coach Mark [Sangiao] is putting together a tremendous game plan for him going into the Naito rematch. As laser-focused as Joshua is, and as determined as he is, I would not be surprised to see him get a finish this time around. Victory is just around the corner,” said Mr. Folayang.
Mr. Eustaquio, too, is high on the chances of Mr. Pacio the second time around against Mr. Naito.
“Having been able to challenge for the title at 20, it came as a surprise, and he handled it well. He took the experience, and absorbed what he needed from it. Now, the rematch is happening because he worked hard for it. Joshua willed this title shot into existence, and now he is staring destiny in the face,” said Mr. Eustaquio in a separate interview with ONE.
“With Joshua’s tools, he can beat Naito this time around and claim the gold, but he has to go in there with a good strategy. Naito is very slick and very smart. I am sure our team has a great game plan ready,” the flyweight champion added.
Entering the contest, Mr. Pacio is in a three-fight winning streak, the last one coming over Thai Pongsiri Mitsatit in July by way of submission (Hammerlock) in the opening round.
Mr. Naito, for his part, is fresh from reclaiming the strawweight title from Brazilian Alex Silva in May.
Also seeing action at ONE: Conquest of Heroes are Filipino flyweight Danny Kingad and women’s atomweight Jomary Torres. —