Victorious in his ONE return, Jeremy “The Juggernaut” Pacatiw is definite on what he wants next.
There’s no other desire for the Lions Nation MMA stud than earning a spot in the top five of the bantamweight division in the ONE Athlete Rankings after his sensational first round submission win over “Little Whirlwind” Wang Shuo at ONE Fight Night 21: Eersel vs. Nicolas.
“I hope to be able to compete against the top five. If I’ll be able to get the win, I’ll surely earn my spot there,” he said.
Pacatiw is brazen on his goals, but this drive is really what’s needed in a cutthroat arena like The Home of Martial Arts.
And though he’s leaving it to the hands of the ONE brass to decide on who he will fight next, he has already done his homework when it comes to scouting his prospective opponents.
If he gets matched up against no. 5 Enkh-Orgil Baatarkhuu, Pacatiw wants to keep the fight on their two feet. “He’s a wrestler, so we have to be more on stand up and I have to develop my takedown defense,” he said.
No. 4 Artem Belakh is much the same, although Pacatiw observed the patience of the Russian contender, saying, “He has composure, so we have to be tough and patient when it comes to him because he always wants to take your back.”
Pacatiw also lauded the boxing skills of no. 3-ranked “Pretty Boy” Kwon Won Il, noting: “He has a long reach advantage na kaya niya i-calculate yung distance. He wants to rip the body and head.”
And for former ONE Bantamweight MMA World Champion and no. 1-ranked contender John “Hands of Stone” Lineker, he knows he has to be at his absolute best.
“It would be a great opportunity and privilege na makaharap si John Lineker. Syempre he’s already a veteran and tested na talaga. Di lang Hands of Stone, talagang bulldozer na umaararo eh,” he said.
“Siguro if I’ll be able to face him, talagang good strategy talaga cause he’s ready na makipagsalpukan. If I’ll be able to adapt sa ginawa ni Fabricio Andrade sa kanya which is land knees, have perfect timing, and keep the distance na wag makipagsalpukan talaga sa kanya, it’s all about fighting IQ if siya ang makakalaban ko.”
Future may still be uncertain for Pacatiw, but one thing’s clear: he’s not ready to be idle and wants to fight as much as he could.
“I want to keep myself active kasi mahirap ulit kung matatagalan yung layoff,” he said..
“I hope my win will give me another opportunity this year para ipakita ang aking skills sa ONE Championship.”