JARRED Brooks dethroned Joshua Pacio from his pedestal as the ONE Strawweight World Champion, winning via unanimous decision in the main event of ONE 164 on Saturday at Mall of Asia Arena.
Jarred Brooks vs Joshua Pacio recap
But it wasn't the outright domination the brash American expected.
Pacio gave Brooks everything he could handle, displaying improved ground defense as the challenger repeatedly tried to make this a grappling battle, relentlessly charging at the hometown bet.
With the Filipino refusing to give an inch, Brooks tried to go toe-to-toe on the standup in rounds three and four.
But a careless spinning backfist attempt from Pacio in the final minute of round four put the champion in trouble as Brooks attempted for a rear-naked choke, yet one that the Team Lakay bet shrugged off by throwing two thumbs up at the camera.
Brooks repeatedly hunted for the kill in round five with his punches, but Pacio was there to respond with strikes of his own.
The American went for one last takedown in the final minute, but the fight ultimately went the distance and into the judges' scorecards.
In the end, the odds favored Brooks' aggression, remaining undefeated in four fights in the promotion while in the process, fulfilling his dream coronation a year since his first fight in The Home of Martial Arts.
"Much respect to Joshua Pacio and Team Lakay. I know I had some choice words, but I was just trying to make this fight as big as possible," said Brooks, who improved to 20-2.
It also ended Pacio's three-year reign atop the weight division as he fell to 20-4.
This was also a disappointing run for the Baguio-based stable, with only Jeremy Pacatiw and Jhanlo Sangiao earning victories in this twinbill event in ONE Championship's return to Manila after nearly three years.
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