Jeremy “The Juggernaut” Pacatiw is coming into ONE: FULL CIRCLE as the underdog as he takes on no. 4-ranked bantamweight contender Fabricio “Wonder Boy” Andrade this February 25 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
But as tough as this draw is, his Team Lakay peers are defiant in saying that there’s no wall that can’t be scaled and Pacatiw, as hardworking as he is, will find a way to beat Andrade.
“I’m very excited to watch Jeremy Pacatiw in his upcoming fight and we will soon see what he has prepared for in this fight,” said Stephen “The Sniper” Loman.
Jhanlo Mark “The Machine” Sangiao agreed, saying, “He will be facing a tough athlete and I’m sure that this will be an explosive night!”
If the duo’s confidence in Pacatiw feels a bit surprising, one should consider that they have witnessed The Juggernaut put in the work in the leadup to this bout.
After all, there’s no better way for Pacatiw than to follow up his promotional debut, where he dominated Chen “The Ghost” Rui to a unanimous decision win at ONE: BATTLEGROUND in July last year, than to deliver an encore performance.
“Jeremy is ready. He’s been preparing for this fight for months and I saw the dedication he has in his training. He has worked hard for this fight,” said Sangiao.
Loman also shared that Pacatiw has been tireless in adding more weapons to his game, from the vaunted striking that Team Lakay fighters have come to be known for, to the enhanced grappling game that they have added to their arsenal over the past few years.
“We are working on all aspects. Focusing our training on one area is not a smart thing to do since mixed martial arts dictates that we have to be fully equipped. And I can say that Jeremy has been training hard and is very dedicated. He works on everything, from striking to wrestling to his ground game,” he said.
For Loman, who is currently ranked no. 3 in the same weight class, power will be Pacatiw’s biggest edge over his Brazilian opponent.
“Yes, Andrade can put his opponents to sleep and he also has those power-loaded punches, as I saw in his fight against Li Kai Wen [at ONE: WINTER WARRIORS 2]. But Jeremy is not named The Juggernaut for nothing,” he testified.
Sangiao, meanwhile, sees speed as Pacatiw’s main advantage, noting, “Fabricio is younger than Jeremy and he’s also a striker. He is fast, but The Juggernaut is a lot faster than him in both striking and wrestling. So I’m 100-percent sure that he is ready for this fight.”It’s for that reason that both Loman and Sangiao agree that their stablemate will truly shock the world come ONE: FULL CIRCLE.
“I’m picturing my brother Jeremy bringing home the spoils,” said Loman, to which Sangiao answered with a more definitive prediction, “Expect a submission win for Jeremy.”