Jeremy “The Juggernaut” Pacatiw will have the best training partners for his upcoming fight, as some of them are also preparing for their own respective bouts.
Pacatiw eyes his fourth win in five outings in ONE Championship when he takes on Ibragim Dauev in a three-round bantamweight MMA match at ONE Fight Night 28 on February 8 inside Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
Lions Nation MMA, where Pacatiw trains, boasts two of the best bantamweights in ONE – #3-ranked Stephen Loman and former ONE Bantamweight MMA World Champion Kevin Belingon. The latter happens to be preparing for his own fight against Bibiano Fernandes at ONE 171: Qatar on February 20.
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But it’s Pacatiw’s access to guys bigger than him that makes his preparation better. For example, he’s been training with former two-time ONE Lightweight MMA World Champion Eduard Folayang and the inaugural ONE Featherweight MMA World Champion Honorio Banario.
Folayang is also preparing for his own rivalry match against Shinya Aoki at ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang on March 23 in Japan.
“Of course, since I’m facing a taller opponent, I think he’s 5-foot-10, I’m working with people bigger than me, like kuya Eduard and kuya Honorio,” he said.
“We’re rotating, sometimes I train with Stephen, sometimes I train with kuya Kevin. But most of the time, it’s with kuya Eduard and Honorio.”
Completing the busy schedule for Lions Nation MMA is ONE Strawweight MMA World Champion Joshua “The Passion” Pacio. He unifies belts with interim king Jarred Brooks, also scheduled for ONE 171: Qatar.
The gym is buzzing with energy and excitement, so Pacatiw believes this will rub off positively on him and his training camp.
“The energy in the gym is beautiful, it’s contagious. It’s very busy right now. Everyone’s really focused on their respective games. Being the first guy to compete, they’re really helping me when it comes to formulating the game plan and preparing for this fight,” Pacatiw said.
“Then of course we have our champ, Joshua, kuya Kevin, kuya Eduard. It’s a busy stretch for us. We’re helping each other, we’re picking each other up, and I hope Stephen [Loman] gets to fight soon.”
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