Joshua Pacio breaks down win over Brooks, admits he did not anticipate TKO

Newly crowned undisputed ONE strawweight world champion Joshua Pacio of Lions Nation MMA was ready to go the full five rounds with Jarred Brooks in the main event of ONE 171 last Friday at Lusail Sports Arena in Qatar.

An underdog heading into the fight, Pacio pulled off a shocker when he scored a second-round technical knockout victory over Brooks — a result he admittedly did not anticipate in the much-anticipated trilogy.

"I do not think there was," Pacio answered in Filipino in an exclusive interview when asked if anyone in the team predicted a stoppage.

"In our training camp, we are ready for a five-round battle, go the whole five rounds, and we covered any possible situations. You saw that in the first round."

While the first round was one-sided in favor of Brooks, the second round was just as one-sided for Pacio. After landing a front kick on top, the fight went to the mat with Pacio on top which saw him unleash punches until the technical knockout that earned him a $50,000 performance bonus.

"Second round I did not expect that reaction from him. I felt he got weak when I went to the body he started to lose his defense," Pacio stated.

"I hear the people scream 'tapusin' and from there I tried to finish. What surprised me the most, he was not as agile and aggressive when mounted."

—JKC, GMA Integrated News