Joshua “The Passion” Pacio promised to show something new every time he steps into the ONE Championship Circle.
And as he defended the ONE Strawweight World Title for the second time in a row against Alex “Little Rock” Silva at ONE: FIRE & FURY, he certainly lived up to expectations.
The 24-year-old looked comfortable on the ground, defending and escaping every submission attempt from the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu wizard in a sold-out Mall Of Asia Arena in Manila, Philippines on 31 January.
Pacio even went on the offensive at times on the ground, displaying confidence that surprised even his head coach Mark Sangiao.
“Yes I was surprised. We all know the level of Silva’s grappling, so Joshua really surprised me with the confidence that he showed in the bout – he was even the one attacking at times,” Sangiao said.
It was not only Sangiao who gave him props. He also earned good words from Silva, who lauded Pacio’s evolution into a complete athlete.
Silva’s attack came from all fronts, with his submission attempts varying from arm triangles to leg locks to heel hooks.
Pacio, however, had answers to all “Little Rock’s” advances.
“He has been good, and that’s why he’s the champion. He’s a good kid, great striker, and [has] good ground game. He’s good,” Silva said.
While the prodigious talent from the highlands earned high praise from all fronts, he paints a different picture of the match.
Pacio knows one mistake could have cost him the World Title, and that is why he was on his heels in the match.
“I think he was waiting for me to make a mistake. That’s how good black belts are – I am sure if I make one mistake they’ll capitalize on it,” Pacio said.
“That’s why I was so wary during scrambles. I was making sure I didn’t get reckless when I transitioned, or when I tried to escape. On the feet, I was really confident if it stayed up there.”
While he looked comfortable from an observer’s point of view, the Team Lakay star thinks it was quite the contrary.
“Man, that was wild. I was so nervous during transitions,” Pacio admitted.
“But all that happened there, every scenario, we worked on it during training so I didn’t panic. I didn’t hesitate on what I’d do. I trust my training. I trust my coach and my team and this is my team.”
Meanwhile, ONE Championship returns this Friday for more martial arts action at ONE: WARRIOR’S CODE on 7 February at the Istora Senayan in Jakarta, Indonesia.
The ONE Featherweight Muay Thai World Title will be at stake when Petchmorakot Petchyindee Academy faces Detrit Sathian Muaythai in another action-packed main event.
Download the ONE Super App to catch all the action live and for free.