ONE Strawweight World Champion Joshua “The Passion” Pacio is confident that Team Lakay will walk away with a clean sweep in Tokyo, Japan.
Four of his teammates will fly the Philippine flag in the historic two-part ONE: CENTURY on 13 October at the Ryogoku Kokugikan.
ONE Bantamweight World Champion Kevin “The Silencer” Belingon, former ONE Featherweight kingpin Honorio “The Rock” Banario, Danny “The King” Kingad, and ONE Warrior Series star Lito “Thunder Kid” Adiwang will battle their respective foes in the biggest martial arts event in history.
Pacio – just 23 years old – has been helping the quartet prepare and is convinced that with the way they are training, victories are on the horizon.
“This is the biggest competition that the team will face,” Pacio said. “Going up against big names makes them hungrier to perform at their very best.”
“They are really working hard for this. They’re more focused and determined to win. You’ll see it with how they prepare. They’re close to their peak and for sure, come fight week, they will be at their best,” the wushu specialist added.
“The Passion,” who reclaimed his ONE Strawweight World Title at ONE: ROOTS OF HONOR last April, believes a sweep in Tokyo will cement the country’s status in the world of mixed martial arts.
“This is a defining moment for the four of them. I know they won’t waste the opportunity ,and they will come in with a complete arsenal and great determination to win,” the Team Lakay standout said.
“This is another perfect opportunity for them to make our [country] proud.”
The prodigious Baguio City native also added that having a new facility built in time for this big event is a huge boost to their chances on 13 October.
“Training is more enjoyable now. We get to spar in a full cage and coach Mark [Sangiao] is very keen on the preparations. He makes sure that we remain healthy and make progress with less than a month before the fight.”
When asked to predict the outcomes of his teammates bouts, Pacio did not hesitate.
“4-0,” he said. “We were able to do it before and I don’t see why we can’t do it again – especially with how they’re working during training.”
ONE: CENTURY is the biggest World Championship martial arts event in history. No organization has ever promoted two full-scale World Championship events in one day.
The Home Of Martial Arts breaks new ground as 28 World Champions compete in multiple World Title bouts, three World Grand Prix Championship Finals, and several World Champion versus World Champion matches at the famous Ryogoku Kokugikan on 13 October in Tokyo, Japan.
Download the ONE Super App to catch the action live and for free.