ONE Strawweight World Champion Joshua “The Passion” Pacio might have ended 2019 on top, but the start of the year was a much different story for the Filipino.
In January, he lost his ONE Strawweight World Title against Yosuke “Ninja” Saruta at ONE: Eternal Glory in Jakarta, Indonesia.
Pacio re-captured his strap against Saruta three months later at ONE: Roots of Honor in Manila, Philippines before defending his belt against Rene “The Challenger” Catalan at ONE: Masters of Fate on November 8.
Such battles have earned the Team Lakay star valuable lessons, and he believes they will make him a more formidable opponent moving forward.
“I’ve learned a lot this year, especially when I lost my World Title back in January,” Pacio said.
“I think I’ve developed to trust my skills and be more confident with it, while at the same time, continue to do the right things at the right time, like sticking to my game plan,” he continued.
“Those are just some of the things that I learned and it was huge in my last two fights.”
The most shocking thing about Pacio’s success is that he has achieved all of this at a fairly young age.
“I’m only twenty-three, and I know that I have a lot to learn both inside and outside the cage,” he said.
“I always want to improve both inside and outside the cage. I want to improve even in the smallest details because that’s how I’ll accomplish my goals as an athlete.”
“The Passion” will bring all those lessons and more when he defends his World Title against former World Champion Alex “Little Rock” Silva in the main event of ONE: Fire and Fury at the Mall Of Asia Arena in Manila, Philippines on 31 January.
A tough challenge may be in front of him, but Pacio remains unfazed.
“I am always happy to compete in front of Filipino fans. I want to show that being a World Champion won’t stop me on improving. In fact, it only motivates me to improve more so I can defend it for a long time.”
In the meantime, The Home Of Martial Arts returns to action on January 10 for ONE: A New Tomorrow at the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand.
Catch all the action live and for free on the ONE Super App.
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