MANILA, Philippines — Joshua Pacio will be fighting in familiar territory even away from home in his upcoming bout in ONE Championship’s “Kings and Conquerors” next week.
The 21-year-old fought in Macau 2016 and convincingly beat Thai grappler Kritsada Kongsrichai in the first round to earn his contender status. Later that year, he nearly dethroned the older Yoshitaka Naito for the strawweight strap.
The Team Lakay prospect will try to regain his footing in the division when he returns to Chinese region this August 5 for his fight against newcomer Hayato Suzuki.
“I love fighting in Macau. The venue is so awesome. It’s truly world-class. Furthermore, there are a lot of Filipinos living and working there. Whenever I compete there, it feels like I am fighting back home. The energy is palpable. I can’t wait to be back,” he said.
Pacio’s foe, despite being a rookie in the promotion, flaunts a 16-0-2 record. He prides himself as a well-rounded fighter equipped with heavy hands and grappling savvy.
Of Suzuki’s 16 career wins, six were by submission and five ended by way of knockout.
“It’s going to be an action-packed fight. I can’t be complacent. Moreover, I have to be two steps or three steps ahead of him,” Pacio said of his Japanese foe.
“He’s never been knocked out. He’s never been submitted. He’s undefeated. This is MMA. Anything can happen,” he added.
And while he has long erased that bitter taste of falling short in a bid to capture a ONE strap against Dejdamrong Sor Amnuaysirichoke last March, Pacio said there's still lot of work to be done.
“There is still an urgency to improve my skills and arsenal after the fight. This time, we enhanced timing and precision. We added speed as well as proper execution of gameplan,” he shared.
Pacio joins fellow Filipinos Eric Kelly and Jomary Torres in the showpiece set at the Cotai Arena in The Venetian Macau.
