Joshua Pacio praises rival Jarred Brooks: “You can’t really sleep on that guy”

Heated rivals Joshua Pacio and Jarred Brooks have never really seen eye to eye. But despite their differences, the Filipino phenom graciously acknowledged the courageous effort that the ONE Strawweight MMA World Champion displayed in his most recent outing.

Brooks entered uncharted territory to challenge ONE Flyweight Submission Grappling World Champion Mikey Musumeci for his belt at ONE Fight Night 13 last week.

“The Monkey God” quickly demonstrated why he is considered one of the most feared ground specialists in MMA today. At the onset of their bout, he utilized his exceptional wrestling background to cause Musumeci significant trouble.

Brooks executed an initial takedown and then skillfully applied relentless pressure from the top position.

Regrettably for him, Musumeci’s brilliance on the canvas caught up. The reigning submission grappling king masterfully counteracted his opponent’s advances, ultimately securing the victory by fastening a triangle-armbar at the 7:30 mark of the 10-minute contest.

Although Brooks fell short in his bid to become a two-sport ONE World Champion, his Filipino rival gave him props.

“I didn’t agree with those who said that Jarred Brooks would be entering unfamiliar territory in this match. Grappling is part of MMA training, and he did an awesome job against Mikey Musumeci,” Pacio confessed.

“You can’t really sleep on that guy, to be honest. He deserves a lot of credit for taking on Mikey and almost going the distance with him.”

“Darth Rigatoni” Mikey Musumeci claims another victim 🥋👑

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Joshua Pacio wants another piece of Jarred Brooks

Joshua Pacio may have praised his rival, but he isn’t done with him just yet.

After testing the submission grappling waters, Jarred Brooks is expected to return to MMA competition very soon and defend his strawweight crown. And knowing this, Pacio hopes to be his first challenger.

Both men crossed paths in December 2022, with Brooks defeating Pacio for the gold-plated strap via unanimous decision.

“Jarred and I have some unfinished business, and I want my belt back,” the Filipino said. “Everybody wants to see the rematch.”