ONE strawweight MMA champion Joshua Pacio will be an interested observer of the main event at ONE Fight Night 24 on Friday, Aug. 2.
While he is sidelined with an injury he suffered in his rematch with Jarred Brooks at ONE 166, his American rival will return in a ONE interim strawweight MMA championship bout against Cuban mainstay Gustavo Balart.
Pacio is disappointed he wasn’t cleared to meet “The Monkey God” in a trilogy bout, but he’s satisfied the two stars will push the strawweight MMA division forward in his absence.
“You know how much I want to be back in there competing, but my physical condition prevents me from doing so. It is what it is. The division needs to move forward and determine the next challenger, or in this case, the next interim champion,” Pacio told ONE.
“What I love about our division is that there’s never a shortage of real world title contenders. This will be evident in the upcoming matchup between Jarred Brooks and Gustavo Balart, where the top contender faces the next in line.”
Balart’s Olympic wrestling credentials will test Brooks where he has dominated the competition in ONE Championship to date – the mat – and the stylistic matchup has caught “The Passion’s” eye.
The Filipino superstar is excited to watch the interim world title bout play out, but he couldn’t predict who will leave Bangkok, Thailand, as the winner.
“As a fan of the sport, this is a fascinating matchup. You have two elite wrestlers with distinct styles that have proven successful in their careers,” Pacio remarked.
“This fight raises many questions given their backgrounds. It’s truly mind-boggling. May the best man win.”
While he failed to name who would get their hand raised, Pacio was clear about who he wants to take the gold.
“El Gladiador” would be a welcome opponent in a title unification bout, but the 28-year-old is seeking a trilogy bout with Brooks.
“I can see where this is heading, so I’ll be straightforward,” Pacio said.
“I have unfinished business with Jarred Brooks, and I intend to settle it in the future. If Gustavo Balart rises to the occasion, he’s more than welcome.”
ONE Fight Night 24 airs live and free on Prime Video on Friday, Aug. 2, at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT to all Amazon Prime members based in the U.S. and Canada.