“It’s been a journey” - Undisputed strawweight champ Joshua Pacio looks back on his magical run in the division

Filipino strawweight fighter Joshua Pacio has been in the game for some time now. He looks back at his journey, marked by peaks and valleys, with a lot of gratefulness.

The reigning ONE strawweight world champion shared the kind of path he has carved through the years in an interview with ONE Championship, highlighting how throughout he has been guided by his faith.

Pacio said:

“For me, I’m just a vessel used by God on this platform. If it wasn’t for him, we wouldn’t be here. These achievements were done through Him. When I think about my journey here at strawweight, it’s been so many years. I’m just so happy. So many trilogies, rematches – we’ve managed to win it all. It’s been a journey.”

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Joshua Pacio has spent much of his professional MMA career in ONE Championship, which he has been a part of since 2016. He has dominated the strawweight division, becoming its most successful champion. While he did lose the belt a couple of times, he has found a way to return to the top.

'The Passion' currently has a record of 14-4 in the "Home of Martial Arts," winning his last three matches, the most recent a second-round TKO win over American rival and former divisional king Jarred Brooks to become the undisputed strawweight king once again.

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Joshua Pacio open to moving up to flyweight down the line

Joshua Pacio has been dominant as a strawweight, but he sees himself moving up to flyweight down the line especially if it comes to a point that he will have a hard time meeting 125 pounds.

He spoke about it in an interview with the promotion, sharing moving up to the 135-pound division is a possibility moving forward.

The Lions Nations MMA standout said:

"After one or two years, if I have a hard time with weight, I think I’ll go up to flyweight because we can’t compromise my performance just to make weight. I’m a natural flyweight, and I’m the only one who can go down to strawweight fully hydrated."

He added:

"I’m still happy fighting in this weight class. I feel strong, I feel light. If I can still operate at the highest level here at strawweight, then I’ll stay."

Whether he does push through moving up to flyweight or not remains to be seen, but regardless, Pacio's legacy as one of the best in strawweight is already secured.

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Edited by Tejas Rathi