AMIDST the destruction caused by Typhoon Ompong, newly-crowned ONE Championship strawweight champion Joshua Pacio believes Baguio City, Benguet and the rest of the Cordilleras will rise from the rubbles.
Fresh from winning Team Lakay’s fifth championship belt in Asia’s largest mma promotion, Pacio said his victory is dedicated to those who perished during one of the deadliest typhoons which set foot in the region.
“Last week, typhoons struck Baguio City, Benguet, and the Cordilleras. A lot of places were hit hard. Many people died and some are still missing. This is for all of them. I know that the Cordilleras will come back and rise again soon as one,” Pacio said in a post-fight interview.
Pacio became the latest champion in the long list of Team Lakay title holders which include former champions Eduard Folayang (lightweight) and Honorio Banario (featherweight) and current belt holders Geje Eustaquio (flyweight) and interim bantamweight champion Kevin Belingon.
“I’m speechless, but I want to thank the Lord Jesus Christ, and ONE Championship for the privilege and this unexplainable feeling. Of course, I would like to thank my coach Mark Sangiao, who is here, and all our coaches, friends and sponsors. They had our back since day one. I tried to counter his (Naito’s) takedowns and grappling, but this guy is a legend. He was so tough,” Pacio added.
Pacio turned in a masterful performance displaying striking superiority and phenomenal takedown and grappling defense to defeat Yoshitaka Naito via unanimous decision to claim the gold.
The Team Lakay fighter opened the contest with a thudding outside leg kick, which set the tone for what would be a long night for Naito – predominantly a wrestler and a grappler who attempted five takedowns in the first round, all of which were stopped by the Filipino’s effective sprawls.
The 34-year-old Paraestra Matsudo product tried relentlessly to set up his single-leg attempts with an overhand right, but Pacio read the tactic expertly and anticipated all of them.
Establishing his dominance in the striking department early, Pacio hurt Naito with a thunderous kick to the midsection, and then swarmed him with punches. However, the Japanese athlete showed his mettle and quickly regained his bearings.
Though it was clear Naito was slowly starting to chain his takedowns together more effectively, he faced a much more difficult challenge from the Baguio City warrior now, compared to their first encounter in October 2016.
This time, Pacio showcased more poise and control, and he defended well against Naito’s advances.
In the championship rounds, the bout effectively transitioned to a technical grappling showdown.
While Naito was the more capable grappler when they initially met nearly two years ago, the gap was much closer in the rematch.
Pacio clearly put in the time to upgrade his wrestling and jiu-jitsu skills in order to compete at the highest level, with the ground war coming to a stalemate and displayed his striking superiority, attacking the Japanese world champion with quick combinations in the opening minute.
While Naito was able to bring the Team Lakay standout down to the mat on multiple occasions, the story remained the same as the former champion was unable to do much damage, nor advance to dominant positions.
Now 13-2 at only 22 years of age, the Filipino has solidified his status as one of the best martial artists on the planet. (Roderick Osis)