Joshua Pacio may be the youngest member of Baguio City’s famed Team Lakay, but by the end of the week, he could become its one and only MMA world champion.
At 20 years of age, Pacio is a just a youth chasing his MMA dreams in Asia’s largest mixed martial arts promotion. But his outstanding 8-0 unbeaten record and 100 per cent finishing rate earned the Filipino fighter a shot at newly-minted ONE Strawweight World Champion Yoshitaka Naito.
The Japanese MMA veteran is 12 years Pacio’s senior, and owns a more experienced resume based on his hefty work in Japanese promotion Shooto as its Flyweight Champion. This makes Naito a tall order for any opponent, including former ONE Strawweight World Champion Dejdamrong Sor Amnuaysirichoke, who lost the title to Naito earlier this year.
Pacio is obviously lacking in experience. One year removed from essentially still being a teenager and he gets a call to fight for a world title. One cannot even begin to imagine what it must be like for him, but the young Pacio seems to be taking things in stride.
Pacio may not be the favorite going into the matchup, no doubt, but there is a reason fans cheer for the underdog. Three, in fact.
#1 He’s young and undefeated
Being young and undefeated must be a wonderful feeling. Riding the high of an eight-fight win streak, Pacio has not experienced the pain of defeat. He has gotten close, but in times he appeared to be on the brink of a loss, Pacio was able to dig deep and find a way to win.
Sometimes not knowing how to lose is exactly what a young fighter needs to give the performance of a lifetime, and Pacio is primed for a breakout performance. With an entire nation behind him, cheering from miles away in the Philippines, Pacio has the unwavering support of his people.
Sometimes, this support is enough to push a fighter over the edge, giving him that extra edge he needs in his strikes to come away with victory.
One slight problem with this is his opponent, the champion Naito, is also undefeated at 11 wins, making this fight all the more interesting. Like Pacio, Naito does not know how to lose. He came very close to defeat against former champion Dejdamrong, but like his Filipino challenger, Naito was able to find a way to win.
When two fighters enter the cage, only one comes out victorious. Such is the way of combat sports. As they say when two unbeaten fighters go head-to-head, “Somebody’s 0 has got to go!”
#2 He is a complete fighter
Pacio, like his seniors at Team Lakay, is a world-class wushu expert. His crisp, clean, lightning-quick strikes are truly spectacular, and a very difficult stylistic matchup for any opponent. Surprisingly, however, Pacio is adept at the grappling arts as well, and owns five submissions out of eight total victories.
When Pacio began his career as a teenager, he was first introduced to Muay Thai and wushu by his uncle. Shortly after, he was invited to try out for Baguio City’s premiere fight team. It was there that he met older, more experienced teammates Eduard “Landslide” Folayang and Honorio “The Rock” Banario.
Together, they instilled in Pacio the striking skills that Team Lakay is known for. Under the careful tutelage of coach Mark Sangiao, each and every member of the team is equipped with elite wushu skills that have terrorized opposing fighters.
However, Pacio is unique. Out of all the Team Lakay fighters, Pacio boasts the best finishing rate at 100 per cent, with all of his wins coming either by knockout or by submission. Impressive? Absolutely.
Whether or not the level of competition is up to scratch is a whole different question, but regardless, it is very impressive indeed. One thing is for certain though, Pacio is a complete fighter, and will only get better with more experience and age.
#3 Supreme self-confidence in his abilities
If you ask Pacio who will emerge victorious this Friday night, you will get only one answer. Without batting an eye, Pacio claims he will successfully bring the ONE Strawweight World Championship belt back to the Philippines’ mountain provinces, where he says the title belongs.
That is big talk from a 20-year-old. But it is this kind of self-confidence that gives fighters that will to win, that refusal to bow down and lose. If experience is the only knock on Pacio, his supreme self-confidence serves well to fill that void.
Sometimes, it is this extraordinary belief in oneself that becomes the X-factor in a close fight. Ever wonder how some fighters are able to get that second, third, or fourth wind? They get it when they simply refuse to give into defeat.
Maybe this is exactly what will turn Pacio into the Philippines’ youngest world champion. Maybe it is destiny. Whatever it is, Pacio prefers to have his fate squarely in the palm of his hands.
