Joshua Pacio says his ‘challenger’ mindset has served him well: “My mentality has always been the same”

Joshua Pacio (Image by ONE Championship)
Joshua Pacio (Image by ONE Championship)

Reigning ONE strawweight MMA world champion 'The Passion' Joshua Pacio of the Philippines is getting ready to invade the flyweight MMA division to challenge divisional king ‘Little Piranha’ Yuya Wakamatsu for the ONE flyweight MMA world title.

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The pair do battle at ONE 173: Superbon vs. Noiri on Sunday, November 16 at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan.

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Despite Pacio’s multiple title reigns as strawweight champion, the Filipino star has maintained a challenger mindset in all of his fights, which the Filipino says has allowed him to keep his edge.

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Pacio revealed that this approach to competition has fueled his success in the world’s largest martial arts organization. He told ONE Championship:

"Yes, I've been the strawweight champion for a long time, but my mentality has always been the same. I always enter all my fights thinking I'm the challenger. That has always been my mindset, and it has served me well."
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Pacio will be banking on his skills once again when he takes on Wakamatsu. If he’s victorious, he will make history and become the first Filipino ever to be a two-division ONE world champion.


Joshua Pacio focusing on keeping speed instead of adding bulk in move to flyweight

‘The Passion’ Joshua Pacio understands that to be successful in his flyweight MMA world title bid against ‘Little Piranha’ Yuya Wakamatsu at ONE 173: Superbon vs. Noiri on November 16, he has to keep what has made him such a dangerous adversary, his speed.

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That has been the focus in training camp. Pacio told ONE:

“The main thing, of course, is to make sure I don't lose speed. It's one of my best attributes, so I made sure it's still there when I move up a weight class.”

Tickets for ONE 173: Superbon vs. Noiri are available via ePlus in Japan. Meanwhile, fans in North America can visit onefc.com for more information on various streaming options.

Follow One Championship News, Schedule & Results at Sportskeeda.

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Edited by Himakshu Vyas
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