MANILA, Philippines, February 22 ------ Filipino fighter Joshua Pacio won over Jarred Brooks via technical knockout in the second round of their ONE 171: Qatar main event to be crowned the undisputed ONE strawweight MMA world champion. The two battled it out in the title unification bout, which completed the trilogy between the two rivals after an anticlimactic second match.
After Pacio was given the title last year following a disqualification win, the two fighters started slugging it out right from the get-go, with Brooks securing an early takedown in the first round, taking the match to the ground. The American then tried to put Pacio in various submission holds, including a guillotine choke try within the final minute of the first round. But the 29-year-old pride of Baguio eventually got out, connecting on some ground and pound. “The Passion” then started aggressively in the second round, taking the fight to the ground after a right hook.
As Pacio combined body shots and head shots, he upped the ante and rained down on the ground and pound. Smelling blood, the Filipino continued to strike as “The Monkey God” became helpless. The referee Mohamad Sulaiman, then, called the stop to the contest at the 4:22 mark of the second round. After winning the belt, Pacio slumped to the ground and became emotional. Brooks, then, went to him and raised his hand. “I’m speechless. But really, I’ve been through a lot this year. People doubted me, but I tell you, never doubt the living God that I serve,” Pacio said after the match.
He also brought home a $50,000 performance bonus. The Filipino said he is open to another fight with his rival. “Honestly, I’m ready to go full five rounds with Jarred, but I know there’s something wrong with him and in the future, we’re gonna do it again,” he said. “This is not the end, this is only the beginning. This is the new season for Lions Nation MMA and for the Passion.”
In the other matches of the night, Jonathan Haggerty defended his ONE bantamweight kickboxing world championship against Wei Rui; Roberto Soldic knocked Dagi Arslanaliev in their welterweight bout; Shamil Erdogan knocked Aung La N Sang in their catchweight battle; Shamil Gasanov won via unanimous decision over Martin Nguyen in their featherweight match; and Filipino Kevin Belingon was dealt a split decision loss by Bibiano Fernandes.
Source: philstar.com
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