JOSHUA Pacio will get a chance to reclaim his lost gold when he challenges Yosuke Saruta for the ONE Strawweight Championship at ONE: Roots of Honor at Mall of Asia Arena on April 12.
The 23-year-old Team Lakay stalwart lost the title via split decision to the Japanese back in January at ONE: Eternal Glory in Jakarta.
“That fight showed me a lot of things that I needed to work on in my game. It was a great experience for me, as it showed me the things that I need to work on heading into the rematch,” said Pacio.
Pacio (13-3) would love nothing but to be a two-time division champion, following the footsteps of longtime strawweight king Yoshitaka Naito, and trump Saruta (19-8) in the Manila card's co-main event.
“I’m happy for the opportunity and I will do everything to get the belt back to the Philippines,” he continued. “We will be more decisive and I will try hard to make sure to settle this clearly.”
The night will also see Martin Nguyen defend his ONE Featherwight Championship against Naruntangalag Jadambaa in the main event.
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