Joshua Pacio is in stable condition after suffering a head spike and losing consciousness on Friday evening during his rematch against Jarred Brooks at ONE 166: Qatar.
Pacio, the newly crowned ONE Strawweight MMA World Champion, was promptly rushed to the nearest medical facility.
The 28-year-old pride of La Trinidad, Benguet, is currently accompanied by Lions Nation MMA founder Eduard Folayang and cornermen Don-Don Colas and Baltazar Cacay.
In messages to Tiebreaker Times’ Nissi Icasiano, Pacio is able to communicate and open his eyes.
Folayang also revealed that Pacio is undergoing a series of tests.
UPDATE: Eduard Folayang is currently at the hospital with Joshua Pacio, and he has conveyed to me that his Lions Nation MMA teammate is presently undergoing various medical tests.
— NISSI ICASIANO (@Nissi_Icasiano) March 1, 2024
It was a tragic end to a rematch that was 454 days in the making.
In their first clash since Pacio lost the title to Brooks on December 3, 2022, at the SM Mall of Asia Arena, the American grappler took down the Filipino from his back.
However, Pacio landed on his neck, rendering him unconscious.
The move was illegal, not just in the global MMA ruleset but also in the unified rules of MMA, stating that spiking an opponent to the canvas on his or her head or neck is a foul.
It resulted in an automatic disqualification with Brooks ceding his belt to Pacio.
