ONE Strawweight World Champion Joshua “The Passion” Pacio aims to add another belt to Team Lakay’s bulging trophy cabinet when he steps into the cage early next year.
Pacio will be the first of Team Lakay’s World Champion quartet, which comprises of Eduard Folayang (lightweight), Kevin Belingon (bantamweight) and Geje Eustaquio (flyweight), to defend a World Title in 2019.
The strawweight king enters his first title defense, challenging Japan’s Hayato Suzuki (20-1-2) in the main event at ONE: ETERNAL GLORY, set for Istora Senayan in Jakarta on 19 January.
“The Passion” Pacio will have redemption on his mind, having suffered his last defeat to Suzuki back when the Japanese warrior was just making his ONE debut.
Since that loss, Pacio has gone on a four-match win streak, overcoming fellow Filipino Roy Doliguez, China’s Ming Qiang Lan, Thailand’s Pongsiri Mitsatit and Japan’s Yoshitaka Naito.
Pacio’s win over Naito at ONE: CONQUEST OF HEROES last September ensured he not only turned the tables on the Japanese star, but also meant the strawweight title was in his possession.
Hailing from Baguio City in the Philippines, the 22-year-old Pacio has shown tremendous improvement over the past few years leading up to his title reign. And with the belt firmly in his grasp, Pacio aims to make a successful first defense against the last man to defeat him.
Suzuki, who hails from Takahagi City, first met
The 32-year-old scored a shocking first-round submission victory, forcing the Filipino to tap out via rear-naked choke. Since then, the Japanese grappler has been on a tear, winning his last three bouts with the same submission hold.
None of the bouts have gone past the second round, with Suzuki overcoming Thailand’s Pongsiri Mitsatit, Filipino Robin Catalan and Brazil’s Yago Bryan in quick time.
An experienced grappler, Suzuki looks to replicate that stellar run of form in the highly anticipated rematch against Pacio.
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