Joshua Pacio seeks Macao repeat

Joshua "The Passion" Pacio

Team Lakay's Joshua Pacio wants to replicate his last visit to Macao when he faces Hayato Suzuki on ONE: Kings and Conquerors this coming August 5.

A year ago, "The Passion" was part of the first-ever MMA event ONE Championship organized in the Special Administrative Region, ONE: Heroes of the World. At that event, he forced Thai grappler Kritsada Kongsrichai to submit at the 4:37 mark of the first round due to a rear-naked choke.

The 21-year-old Baguio native did not mince his excitement in being part of ONE: Kings and Conquerors, "I love fighting in Macao. The venue is so awesome. It's truly world-class. Furthermore, there are a lot of Filipinos living and working there. Whenever I compete there, it feels like I am fighting back home. The energy is palpable. I can't wait to be back."

Pacio will have a formidable opponent in Suzuki, a well-rounded warrior armed with heavy hands and technical grappling skills. The Japanese has a 16-0-2 record, with eleven wins coming by way of a finish. When asked about his upcoming match, Joshua says, "It's going to be an action-packed fight. I cannot be complacent. Moreover, I have to be two steps or three steps ahead of him."

He adds, "He's never been knocked out. He's never been submitted. He's undefeated. This is MMA. Anything can happen. My skills versus his skills will be incredible. This will be one of the fights that will be remembered because he will showcase his skills and I will showcase mine, so you had better watch it."

Pacio is fresh from beating Dejdamrong Sor Amnuaysirichoke, although he acknowledges that there is "room for improvement." He shared that, "This time, we enhanced timing and precision. We added speed as well as proper executions of game plan."

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