Camille Naredo

Jarred Brooks raises the hand of Joshua Pacio after their match at ONE 171 in the Lusail Sports Arena in Doha, Qatar on February 20, 2025. Handout/ONE Championship/File

Jarred Brooks raises the hand of Joshua Pacio after their match at ONE 171 in the Lusail Sports Arena in Doha, Qatar on February 20, 2025.

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ONE Championship

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<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1758269595556DC-3161.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="Jarred Brooks raises the hand of Joshua Pacio after their match at ONE 171 in the Lusail Sports Arena in Doha, Qatar on February 20, 2025. Handout/ONE Championship/File"/>Jarred Brooks raises the hand of Joshua Pacio after their match at ONE 171 in the Lusail Sports Arena in Doha, Qatar on February 20, 2025. Handout/ONE Championship/File</div>MANILA -- Count former ONE Strawweight World Champion Jarred Brooks among those supporting Filipino MMA star Joshua Pacio in his bid to become a two-division world title-holder.Brooks and Pacio are bitter rivals but the American believes his Filipino nemesis can make history when he challenges Japan&#x27;s Yuya Wakamatsu for the ONE Flyweight MMA World Title on November 16.The bout is part of the ONE 173: Superbon vs Noiri card that will take place at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan. <div><a class="fr-strong fr-green" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/sports/othersports/2025/7/21/mma-pacio-to-go-up-in-weight-challenge-wakamatsu-for-one-flyweight-crown-1740">READ: Pacio to go up in weight, challenge Wakamatsu for ONE flyweight crown</a></div>Pacio already holds the ONE Strawweight World Championship, claiming it at Brooks&#x27; expense back in February.&quot;I&#x27;m rooting for Pacio when he goes against Yuya Wakamatsu because I do think that he could beat him,&quot; said Brooks. &quot;I still have the same perception of Josh. I think that he&#x27;s a great champion. I think that he leads his people [well]. I think that to a young Filipino fan, Joshua Pacio was like Superman,&quot; he added. &quot;Hats off to Josh, hats off to all of his team, acclimating and readjusting to whatever they needed to do to get that win.&quot;Brooks won the first chapter of his rivalry with Pacio, dethroning &quot;The Passion&quot; in front of a devastated Manila crowd in December 2022. Pacio would regain the belt via a controversial disqualification when Brooks executed an illegal slam in their March 2024 rematch. The trilogy then reached its climax in Qatar in February, which saw Pacio survive a first-round mauling to knock out Brooks in the second round.<div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/sports/othersports/2025/2/21/mma-pacio-stops-brooks-in-thriller-to-become-undisputed-one-champ-1011">READ: Pacio stops Brooks in thriller to become undisputed ONE champ</a></div>Brooks, too, is making the leap to flyweight. He will take on Mansur Malachiev at ONE Fight Night 36 on October 3 at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. The 32-year-old views this as his route back to gold while leaving open the possibility of a fourth clash with Pacio in a new weight class.&quot;I think that I would have to prove [I deserve another fight with him], because I know that Pacio ain&#x27;t gonna wanna go back down,&quot; said Brooks. &quot;He calls the shots now. He&#x27;s the strawweight king. But I know that he wants to fight with me because a lot of fans think that I&#x27;m the champion and still think that it&#x27;s 2-1 for me.&quot;

Count former ONE Strawweight World Champion Jarred Brooks among those supporting Filipino MMA star Joshua Pacio in his bid to become a two-division world title-holder.

Count former ONE Strawweight World Champion Jarred Brooks among those supporting Filipino MMA star Joshua Pacio in his bid to become a two-division world title-holder.

MMA: Jarred Brooks backs Joshua Pacio's bid for two-division supremacy

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MMA: Jarred Brooks backs Joshua Pacio's bid for two-division supremacy

ABS-CBN News

Published September 19, 2025 04:32 PM PHT

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mixed martial arts

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ONE Championship

ONE 173

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Jarred Brooks

Yuya Wakamatsu

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