Joshua Pacio says he and Lions Nation MMA prepared to ‘counter everything’ Jarred Brooks has at ONE 166

After a lackluster performance in their first meeting, Joshua Pacio has been preparing to counter anything and everything that Jarred Brooks could possibly throw at him in their rematch on March 1.

15 months after surrendering the ONE strawweight MMA world title to ‘The Monkey God,’ Pacio will seek redemption when the two run it back inside the Lusail Sports Arena at ONE 166 in Qatar. Speaking with Qabayan Radio 94.3 ahead of their highly anticipated sequel, ‘The Passion’ dished some details on his work with his new gym — Lions Nation MMA — and what he plans to do differently the second time around.

“One of the things we did in our training camp was more on simulation and situations. So, all of the aspects that Jarred would bring, what he’ll do in the fight against me, we made sure that we have a counter for everything.”

Joshua Pacio goes into ONE 166 riding a wave of momentum after scoring a decisive unanimous decision victory against Russian standout Mansur Malachiev at ONE Fight Night 15 in October.

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Jarred Brooks is ready to show Joshua Pacio and the world who the best strawweight is

For Jarred Brooks, it will be his first time defending the ONE strawweight title since taking it from Pacio via a dominant performance in December 2022. ‘The Monkey God’ even took a shot at two-sport glory when he challenged Mikey Musumeci for the ONE flyweight submission grappling world title at ONE Fight Night 13.

“I'm so excited to show the world and to show ONE Championship that I am truly the best strawweight in the world and maybe to just show that I’m the best flyweight in the world too,” Brooks told The MMA Superfan ahead of his return to the Circle.

Who leaves with the ONE strawweight world title? Share your prediction in the comments section below, and don’t forget to tune in on March 1. ONE 166: Qatar is available live and free to all Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.