Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 25) – After an emphatic end in his mixed martial arts trilogy against Yosuke Saruta, ONE strawweight champion Joshua Pacio challenged another Japanese rival to settle the score in another trilogy fight.
In the post-fight press conference after successfully defending his belt in one round, the 25-year-old fighter from Baguio City said he was looking to fight Yoshitaka Naito for his next title defense.
Pacio emphasized that the trilogy fight against Naito will prove something about his capability and his stable, the famed Team Lakay.
“I just want to prove to a lot of people saying trilogy fights are curse for Team Lakay, I don’t believe it. I broke that saying tonight and I want to do that again in a trilogy with Naito,” said Pacio.
The challenge posed by Pacio makes sense as Naito is now the second-best strawweight fighter in ONE Championship.
Naito gave Pacio his first career loss through a rear-naked choke submission in October 2016. The Team Lakay bet prevailed in unanimous decision in their second meeting in September 2018 to win for the first time the ONE strawweight title.
Pacio holds a 20-3 record while Naito sports a 15-4 slate.
