ONE Championship star Joshua Pacio wants to give fans the best show

Joshua Pacio

Since joining ONE Championship in 2016, Joshua “The Passion” Pacio, 22, of Baguio City, Philippines has emerged as one of the most talented Filipino mixed martial artists. He is not in a hurry to become a champion but he is ready to take on any opponent.

“I welcome all challenges and will never back down,” Pacio stated. “Like I have told everyone, I signed with ONE Championship to give fans the best show that I can. I will just continue to train hard every single day and get better.”

Training out of Team Lakay Gym, Pacio believes that he will eventually become the ONE Strawweight World Champion, a title currently held by Yoshitaka “Nobita” Naito, 34, of Japan. The Baguio City native declared, “In due time, I will achieve my goal.”

The only two fighters to defeat Pacio are both Japanese martial arts veterans. Naito and Hayato Suzuki, 32, defeated the Team Lakay fighter in 2016 and in 2017, respectively, both via rear-naked choke submission.

These two losses made Pacio want to focus specifically on enhancing this area of his game. He unveiled his newly improved grappling prowess by submitting Lan Min Qiang, 24, of China via rear-naked choke at “ONE: Global Superheroes.”

“It made me realize just how much more I had to improve so that I can become a better martial artist,” Pacio explained. “I realized that there are a lot of holes in my game, and that the only way to get better is to recognize my weaknesses.”

On July 27, 2018, Pacio will face an undefeated Thai fighter. He will prove that he is the top contender in the strawweight division of ONE Championship as he competes at “ONE: Reign of Kings” against Pongsiri “The Smiling Assassin” Mitsatit, 22, who currently holds a professional MMA record of 9 wins and 0 loss.

Pacio plans to use his upcoming cage encounter with Mitsatit as a stepping stone to an eventual championship opportunity. The Team Lakay fighter said, “This match means a lot to me.”

“I want to prove that I deserve to be competing on this international stage,” Pacio continued. “I won’t go down easily in this bout. I will keep up with him, and I will try to top his toughness and quickness to make this my moment.”

Hailing from Nakhon Si Thammarat, Thailand, Mitsatit is one of the undefeated Asian MMA fighters with more than five professional bouts. He defeated seven out of his nine opponents via technical knockout including Filipino fighter Rabin “The Rock” Catalan, 32, and Jeremy “The Jaguar” Miado, 25.

Aware of Mitsatit’s impressive background, Pacio is encouraged to bring his career to the next level with another awe-inspiring performance. Here is the Team Lakay fighter’s most recent bout:

  

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