Just as Jeremy "The Juggernaut" Pacatiw thought he was on his way to ending his sparring session with former two-time ONE Lightweight MMA World Champion Eduard "Landslide" Folayang without a hitch, the veteran caught him napping.
The #5-ranked bantamweight MMA contender tried to catch a Folayang push kick before failing to get his hands up in time. "Landslide" followed up with his signature spinning back fist.
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It was a hit so clean that if it happened in a real fight, it would've brought heavy consequences to Pacatiw.
He knew that the moment it landed.
"He caught me with that one, he caught me good," Pacatiw said smiling as he caught his breath after an intense training session at the Lions Nation MMA gym in La Trinidad, Benguet.
"Those are the little things that I have to be careful with. Because even though we're preparing for his ground game, we all know Russians are improving strikers as well.
“It's a reminder that you can't take your focus off for one bit. That no matter how relaxed we are already, we can still get caught in one instance. I have to be alert. And that's a good lesson."
That round with Folayang was one of the many intense sparring rounds that he's done, and will be taking, ahead of his fight against the debuting Elbek Alyshov at ONE Fight Night 34 on August 2 at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
The 29-year-old is utilizing everything he has at his disposal to make sure he returns to the winning track and avoid a losing skid.
He's burning through the best sparring partners that he can get, going through a gauntlet of top fighters in various weight classes in the fledgling Benguet gym.
He starts with #2-ranked flyweight Danny Kingad, then going two weight classes heavier by sparring the aforementioned Folayang. After that, he spars guys his own size by tackling former bantamweight king Kevin Belingon and #2-ranked bantamweight MMA contender Stephen Loman before it starts all over again after.
It's not easy, but nothing great has ever come out of easy, and that's something that Pacatiw is embracing.
"It's a great training program for me because they have different points of pressure, coming from different styles, strengths, and weight classes," he said.
"I'm being pushed to my limit, there's no let-up on my end. Once I'm done with someone, another one will come in.
“It's a great experience. These are world-class sparring fighters who are pushing me, and it's a big help for my preparation."
And that's why "The Juggernaut" is confident that because of his grind, he'll be keeping his spot among the list of contenders at the end of this fight because he'll be getting that W.
"It's hard to predict but all I can say is I'll be ready wherever this fight goes, and I'll have my hands raised after this bout," he said.
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