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The mother of all rematches between Jarred Brooks and Joshua Pacio is finally here at ONE 166: Qatar this Friday, March 1, inside Lusail Sports Arena.
In the first of three world title fights, Brooks and Pacio will resume their epic rivalry following their own version of ‘Thrilla in Manila’ at ONE 164 back in 2022.
On that special night, ‘The Monkey God’ fearlessly entered enemy territory and dethroned the longtime ruler of ONE’s 125-pound MMA ranks in a grueling five-round war.
As fate would have it, Brooks’ first world title defense will be against a familiar adversary, whom he wants to put in the grave once and for all.
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‘The Passion’, however, is the uncrowned ‘Rematch King’ of ONE for his ability to get even with his past tormentors.
Reinvigorated by his new team Lions Nation MMA, the proud Filipino warrior has sights on bringing 26 pounds of gold back to the Philippines by evening the score with Brooks this Friday.
As always, Sportkseeda MMA’s ONE Championship panel has gathered their thoughts for this rematch of epic proportions. Check out their picks..
James De Rozario
I’m a big fan of Joshua Pacio, but I do not see him succeeding at the second time of asking against Jarred Brooks. That said, I expect ‘The Passion’ to fare much better against the ever-confident Brooks until the end of the fifth round.
‘The Monkey God’s’ confidence heading into this world title rematch is well-deserved, after all. The Mash Fight Team affiliate has breezed past every test on the global stage, and he’s eager to build his brand with another statement in Qatar.
The wrestling specialist will go in for the kill from the sound of the bell, but Pacio won’t fall prey easily. Still, I see Brooks forcing open a way to amass points on the canvas in the first couple of rounds.
Pacio would attempt to storm back in the third round, where I see him momentarily dictating the flow of the fight on the feet against Brooks. But another kick or punch combination should open up another chance for the American star to keep the action on the canvas.
The Filipino will manage to hang on against Brook’s acumen on the canvas, possibly even threatening with a couple of submission attempts from guard. However, the strawweight MMA world champion will stay one step, throwing submissions, strikes, and a couple of tricks until he sees off the victory at the end of the allotted 25 minutes.
Prediction: Jarred Brooks via decision
Mike Murillo
Brooks-Pacio II is going to be a competitive fight since both fighters are pretty much familiar of each other’s game having fought in the past. But unlike in their first encounter, I see Joshua Pacio claiming this by decision.
‘The Passion’ I believe has become an even more potent fighter than when he first met and lost to ‘The Monkey God’ in December 2022.
He has shored up his game, particularly on the ground, even going to the U.S. for it. And we all saw the result of it in his clash against Mansur Malachiev in October, where he confidently and effectively stood against the Russian sensation both in stand-up and on the ground.
I see the same happening against Brooks this time around, albeit admittedly the American champion is a tougher nut to crack.
Just the same, an improved arsenal and the spark to return to the top of the strawweight MMA division should tow Pacio to the win.
Prediction: Joshua Pacio via decision
Vince Richards
They always say crowd support goes a long way in sports, but when things go down to the nittiest of the grittiest, the fighters themselves will be the ones to dictate the outcome.
That’s what I expect would happen when Joshua Pacio challenges Jarred Brooks for the ONE strawweight MMA world title at ONE 166 in Qatar.
Pacio will expectedly get a huge ovation from the local Filipino community in the country, but that also happened in his first fight against Brooks in Manila. The fight was a close contest, but Brooks’ incredible pacing and grappling earned him the unanimous decision win.
I’m sure Pacio has made massive improvements in his grappling game with new gym Lions Nation MMA, and he could very well have a few tricks up his sleeve. It would be imperative for the former champ to push the pace and make things uncomfortable for Brooks.
If he can prove to be a better match to Brooks in the grappling department, then he can capitalize on that and transition into an area that he’s best known for—striking.
This fight will be a proper sequel to their first meeting at ONE 164, and it will be a fight that will be too close to predict.
If Pacio can use his grappling to stay on the feet, then it’s his fight to take. If Brooks can overwhelm Pacio once more on the ground, then this is another win for the American star.
Brooks, however, has always shown that his grappling can neutralize any threat on the feet, and he can also trade with the best of them whenever he needs to.
Prediction: Jarred Brooks by decision
ONE 166: Qatar will emanate from Lusail Sports Arena on March 1. The full event is free of charge for existing Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.
