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JAKARTA - Joshua Pacio is the latest mixed martial arts champion from Team Lakay following a unanimous decision victory over Yoshitaka Naito to capture the ONE strawweight world title in the main event of "ONE: Conquest of Heroes" Saturday night at tha Jakarta Convention Center in Indonesia.
Pacio started the contest with hard leg kicks and punches that was felt by Naito. To nobody's surprise, the Japanese attempted to take the fight to the ground several times, but Pacio had an answer to each of his attempts.
Naito once again tried to make it a grappling battle in round two. Pacio, meanwhile, scored both on his feet and on the ground as he managed to weather Naito's ground game.
Joshua Pacio put in a phenomenal performance against Yoshitaka Naito to win the ONE Strawweight World Championship in an epic rematch! #WeAreONE #ConquestOfHeroes #Jakarta #MartialArts pic.twitter.com/b7LKLHHQV8
— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) September 22, 2018
Naito finally got the fight where he wanted in round three when both fighters mostly spent the stanza on the mat. Pacio, however, showcased his improved ground game that spelled trouble for the Japanese.
Both fighters exchanged strikes in round 4 with Naito now dictating the pace of the fight. The bout eventually went to the mat where Naito worked on passing Pacio's tight guard.
Pacio scored damaging strikes on his feet while Naito scored on the mat with his activity in the fifth and final round.
After five three-minute rounds, all three judges scored the fight for Pacio as he captured the ONE strawweight title and improved his record to 13-2. — DVM, GMA News
