Joshua Pacio says preparing for Qatar showdown against Jarred Brooks was "the most difficult" training camp in his career

The long-awaited rematch between then-reigning ONE strawweight MMA world champion Jarred Brooks and Joshua Pacio at ONE 166 was one of the most anticipated fights on the card due to their intense matchup the first time around.

Though 'The Monkey God' came away with the unanimous decision victory over Pacio in front of the latter's home country of the Philippines, many believed that the Filipino would be able to exact his revenge in Qatar.

Pacio had his work cut out for him inside the Lusail Sports Arena as a raucous pre-dominantly Filipino crowd made it feel as if he was fighting on home soil.

However, the match would turn into a nightmare situation as Pacio was spiked on his head following a suplex from the Warsaw, Indiana native - an illegal maneuver under Championship's Global MMA Rule Set.

The Lions Nation MMA fighter regained the ONE strawweight MMA world championship via disqualification, putting a damper ending to the bout just over a minute into it.

In an interview with The MMA Superfan, Pacio revealed just how intense his preparation was for the big rematch:

"This was the most difficult training camp I've ever had, but also the most ready I've felt for a fight."

Watch the full interview with Joshua Pacio here:

---

Joshua Pacio gains more respect for Jarred Brooks for post-injury gesture

Thankfully enough, Pacio left Qatar with nothing more than a severe neck sprain.

The following morning, Brooks gained even more respect in the eyes of ONE Championship fans as he spent breakfast with Pacio and his team the day after the fight.

Even Pacio himself had to applaud Brooks for his gesture, and though there was no discussion of a trilogy fight then, fans certainly would want to see them duke it out again.