Joshua Felix Pacio (born January 10, 1996) is a

Filipino Filipino may refer to: * Something from or related to the Philippines ** Filipino language, standardized variety of 'Tagalog', the national language and one of the official languages of the Philippines. ** Filipinos, people who are citizens of th ...

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorp ...

who competes in the Strawweight division of

ONE Championship ONE Championship (formerly ONE Fighting Championship) is a Singaporean combat sports promotion. Founded on 14 July 2011 by entrepreneur Chatri Sityodtong and former ESPN Star Sports senior executive Victor Cui, its events have featured mixed ...

. He is the former ONE Strawweight World Champion. From April 2016 to July 2016, he was ranked at the #8 Strawweight in the world according to

Fight Matrix Fight Matrix , MMA Rankings, Records, Statistics is an independent, comprehensive, mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter ranking system portal. It is one of the sport's most recognized ranking websites. According to FightMatrix: "The rankings on thi ...

. As of December 1, 2022, Pacio is the #23 Flyweight in the world, as ranked by Fight Matrix. He is currently ranked #1 in the ONE Championship Strawweight rankings.

Early life and education

Joshua Pacio grew up in La Trinidad,

Benguet Benguet (), officially the Province of Benguet ('';'' ; pag, Luyag/Probinsia na Benguet; ilo, Probinsia ti Benguet; ), is a landlocked province of the Philippines located in the southern tip of the Cordillera Administrative Region in the islan ...

and he had to learn to be independent at such an early age after his father worked overseas to provide for his family. Pacio got exposed to martial arts at the early age of 11, where he started working on his kickboxing, before transitioning to Wushu at age 13. Pacio took up Hotel and Restaurant Management at the

University of the Cordilleras The University of the Cordilleras (UC or UC-BCF; fil, Unibersidad ng Kordilyeras), formerly known as the Baguio Colleges Foundation (BCF), is a Private university, private research Mixed-sex education, coeducational university in Baguio, Philip ...

Baguio Baguio ( , ), officially the City of Baguio ( ilo, Siudad ti Baguio; fil, Lungsod ng Baguio), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the Cordillera Administrative Region, Philippines. It is known as the "Summer Capital of the Philippines", ...

Mixed martial arts career

Early mixed martial arts career

Pacio made his debut at Team Lakay Championship 8, where he came away with a first round TKO over Denver Songaben. This would be a start off red-hot six-match winning streak which eventually led to him being signed by

. He made his ONE Championship debut on April 15, 2016 - beating compatriot Rabin Catalan by second-round technical knockout at ONE Championship: Global Rivals at the

Mall of Asia Arena The SM Mall of Asia Arena, also known as the Mall of Asia Arena or the MoA Arena, is an indoor arena within the SM Mall of Asia complex, in Bay City, Pasay, Metro Manila, Philippines. It has a seating capacity of 15,000 for sporting events, an ...

in the Philippines. After beating Kritsada Kongsrichai, Pacio earned his first shot at the ONE Strawweight World Championship against

Yoshitaka Naito Yoshitaka Naito (born February 17, 1984) is a Japanese mixed martial artist from Inzai, Chiba Prefecture, Japan. He is a former two-time ONE Strawweight World Champion. Naito is furthermore a former Shooto World Flyweight (114 lb) Cham ...

at ONE Championship: State of Warriors on October 17, 2016 in

Yangon Yangon ( my, ရန်ကုန်; ; ), formerly spelled as Rangoon, is the capital of the Yangon Region and the largest city of Myanmar (also known as Burma). Yangon served as the capital of Myanmar until 2006, when the military government ...

. Pacio came close to being a World Champion at age 20, as he punished Naito with his patented Wushu strikes on the feet, but a mishap in the third round cost him the entire match as he got submitted by the Japanese via rear naked choke.

First World Title reign

After his loss to Naito, Pacio would wreak havoc in the division - winning five of his next six bouts to book another date with Naito this time at ONE: Conquest of Heroes on September 23, 2018 in Jakarta Indonesia. Pacio rematched

at ONE Championship: Conquest of Heroes on September 22, 2018. Pacio looked more confident in the rematch as he stuffed Naito's takedowns for much of the first two rounds while punishing him on the striking department with lightning quick kicks and combinations from different angles. The Japanese did finish strong as he scored takedowns on his younger opponent, but Pacio stayed busy even on his back - earning all of the judges' nod to get a unanimous decision victory.

Losing the belt, Second reign

Pacio's reign, however, would not last long as he dropped his belt four months later to Yosuke Saruta at ONE Championship: Eternal Glory on January 19, 2019, in a controversial split-decision. The Japanese pushed the action while Pacio opted to pick his spots and counter in one of his more tactical bouts yet. In the end, two of the judges favored Saruta's aggression - crowning him the new ONE Strawweight World Champion. With a close finish, Pacio was given an outright rematch at ONE Championship: Roots of Honor in Manila on April 12, 2019 Pacio did not disappoint as he scored a sensational fourth round knockout win with a well-timed knee to regain his lost title. Later that night, ONE Chairman and CEO

Chatri Sityodtong Chatri Trisiripisal ( th, ชาตรี ตรีศิริพิศาล, ), known by the ring names Chatri Sityodtong ( th, ชาตรี ศิษย์ยอดธง, ) and Yodchatri Sityodtong ( th, ยอดชาตรี ศิ� ...

announced that there would be no need for an immediate trilogy after Pacio's definitive win. Pacio defended his belt for the first time in his second reign as he takes on compatriot Rene Catalan at ONE Championship: Masters of Fate in Manila on November 8, 2019. He defeated Catalan via arm-triangle choke in the second round. Pacio defended his title again against Alex Silva at ONE Championship: Fire and Fury on January 31, 2020. He won the very close bout via split decision. Pacio defended his ONE Strawweight World Championship in a trilogy match against Yosuke Saruta at ONE Championship: Revolution on September 24, 2021. He won the bout via TKO in the first round. Pacio was expected to make his fourth title defense against the #1 ranked strawweight contender

Jarred Brooks Jarred Brooks (born May 2, 1993) is an American professional mixed martial artist currently competing in ONE Championship, where he is the current ONE Strawweight World Champion. A professional competitor since 2014, he has also competed for the ...

ONE 158 ''ONE 158: Tawanchai vs. Larsen'' was a combat sports event produced by ONE Championship that took place on June 3, 2022, at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore. Background A ONE Strawweight Championship bout between current two- ...

on June 3, 2022. The bout was eventually postponed, as Brooks withdrew from the fight due to an injury. The fight was rescheduled at

ONE 164 ''ONE 164: Pacio vs. Brooks'' was a Combat sport event produced by ONE Championship that took place on December 3, 2022, at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay, Philippines. Background This is a competition with two events on December 3, is ONE ...

on December 3, 2022. Pacio lost the fight and the belt by unanimous decision, making him and the Philippines had no more Filipino World Champions of any weight classes. Pacio left his gym on March 10, 2023 together with other three fellow former Team Lakay athletes.

Titles and accomplishments

** ONE Strawweight World Champion (two times; former) ***Three successful title defences

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 20–4 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , ONE 164: Pacio vs. Brooks , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Pasay Pasay, officially the City of Pasay ( fil, Lungsod ng Pasay; ), is a 1st class Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Metro Manila, National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, i ...

, Philippines , , - , Win , align=center, 20–3 , Yosuke Saruta , TKO (punches) , ONE: Revolution , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:38 ,

Kallang Kallang is a planning area and residential town located in the Central Region of Singapore. Development of the town is centered around the Kallang River, the longest river in Singapore. Kallang Planning Area is bounded by Toa Payoh in the no ...

, Singapore , , - , Win , align=center, 19–3 , Alex Silva , Decision (split) , ONE: Fire and Fury , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

, , - , Win , align=center, 18–3 , Rene Catalan , Submission (arm-triangle choke) , ONE: Masters of Fate , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:29 ,

, Philippines , , - , Win , align=center, 17–3 , Yosuke Saruta , KO (head kick) , ONE: Roots of Honor , , align=center, 4 , align=center, 2:42 ,

, Philippines , , - , Loss , align=center, 16–3 , Yosuke Saruta , Decision (split) , ONE: Eternal Glory , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Jakarta Jakarta (; , bew, Jakarte), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta ( id, Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta) is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Lying on the northwest coast of Java, the world's most populous island, Jakarta ...

, Indonesia , , - , Win , align=center, 16–2 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , ONE: Conquest of Heroes , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Indonesia , , - , Win , align=center, 15–2 , Pongsiri Mitsatit , Submission (hammerlock) , ONE: Reign of Kings , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:37 ,

, Philippines , , - , Win , align=center, 14–2 , Ming Qiang Liang , Submission (rear naked choke) , ONE: Global Superheroes , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:01 ,

, Philippines , , - , Win , align=center, 13–2 , Roy Doliguez , KO (spinning back fist) , ONE: Legends of the World , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:38 ,

, Philippines , , - , Loss , align=center, 12–2 , Hayato Suzuki , Submission (rear naked choke) , ONE: Kings and Conquerors , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:17 ,

Macau Macau or Macao (; ; ; ), officially the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (MSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China in the western Pearl River Delta by the South China Sea. With a pop ...

SAR SAR or Sar may refer to: Places * Sar (river), Galicia, Spain * Sar, Bahrain, a residential district * Sar, Iran (disambiguation), several places in Iran * Sar, Tibet, Tibet Autonomous Region of China * Šar Mountains, in southeastern Europe ...

, China , , - , Win , align=center, 12–1 , Dejdamrong Sor Amnuaysirichoke , Decision (split) , ONE: Warrior Kingdom , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estima ...

, Thailand , , - , Loss , align=center, 11–1 ,

, Submission (rear-naked choke) , ONE: State of Warriors , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 1:33 ,

, Myanmar , , - , Win , align=center, 11–0 , Kritsada Kongsrichai , Submission (rear-naked choke) , ONE: Heroes of the World , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:37 ,

, China , , - , Win , align=center, 10–0 , Rabin Catalan , TKO (punches) , ONE: Global Rivals , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:19 ,

, Philippines , , - , Win , align=center, 9–0 , Roy Menzi Jr. , Submission (guillotine choke) , Team Lakay Championship 10 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 2:05 ,

La Trinidad, Benguet La Trinidad, officially the Municipality of La Trinidad ( ilo, Ili ti La Trinidad; tl, Bayan ng La Trinidad), is a 1st class municipality and capital of the province of Benguet, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 13 ...

, Philippines , , - , Win , align=center, 8–0 , Janito Bayot , Submission (guillotine choke) , Team Lakay Championship 10 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:02 ,

, Philippines , , - , Win , align=center, 7–0 , Joco Mabute , Submission (armbar) , PXC Laban: Baguio 4 , , align=center, 0 , align=center, 0:00 ,

, Philippines , , - , Win , align=center, 6–0 , Ric Myler Empil , TKO (doctor stoppage) , PXC Laban: Baguio 3 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:23 ,

, Philippines , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 , Mark Joseph Abrillo , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Spartacus MMA , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:39 ,

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...

, Philippines , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Jordan Lobida , KO (punch) , Fullcon Fighting Championship 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:41 ,

, Philippines , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Jonel Borbon , TKO (Ground & Pound) , PXC Laban: Baguio 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:00 ,

, Philippines , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Ignacio Galindez , Submission (verbal) , Team Lakay Championship 9 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:00 ,

, Philippines , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Denver Songaben , TKO , Team Lakay Championship 8 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:00 ,

, Philippines , , -

References

External links

Joshua Pacio
at ONE {{DEFAULTSORT:Pacio, Joshua 1996 births Living people Filipino male mixed martial artists Filipino sanshou practitioners Filipino Muay Thai practitioners Mixed martial artists utilizing sanshou Mixed martial artists utilizing Muay Thai University of the Cordilleras alumni Sportspeople from Benguet ONE Championship champions ONE Championship mixed martial artists