Former ONE Strawweight MMA World Champion Joshua “The Passion” Pacio attested to the toughness of #5-ranked Mansur Malachiev after being taken into deep waters in their three-round clash at ONE Fight Night 15: Le vs. Freymanov inside Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
Pacio needed the full 15 minutes to beat Malachiev, as he survived being controlled by the Dagestani wrestler for most of the bout.
He did almost finish Malachiev with a deep guillotine choke early in the third round, but the Russian’s toughness and grit showed.
“I heard him struggling. But, you know, for us, Mansur and I, this is our shot for a title. So we gave it our all,” he said about their 7 October meeting.
“He was very hard to get. He’s undefeated for a reason.”
While he was impressed with Malachiev’s skills, Pacio said that the gold standard of the division remains to be reigning ONE Strawweight MMA World Champion Jarred Brooks.
Comparing the two wrestlers, the Filipino believes that Brooks presents the tougher challenge, especially with his pressure and top control.
The fact that Brooks was able to control him in a cage instead of the ring also speaks a lot about the American’s technique.
“Jarred Brooks is more of a pressure wrestler, and I think they’re not the same. And, this fight was in the ring. When I fought Jarred Brooks, we fought in the cage. So, it’s different,” he said.
“And [in] the ring, it’s like you’re free, it’s wide. Even if you go ringside, he can tuck his arms together. But in the cage, you can’t tuck your arms. It’s hard because it’s a cage. It’s very different.”
While a rematch with Brooks is certainly on the horizon for Pacio, he knows he can’t show up against “The Monkey God” with the same performance.
“I think so,” Pacio said when asked if he feels like he deserves another shot at his old foe.
“But honestly, I’m not impressed with my performance right now. I need to go to the gym again and work harder.”