Pacio reclaims ONE strawweight crown after Brooks disqualification

Joshua Pacio takes the crown after brash American champion Jarred Brooks illegally slammed the Filipino fighter on his head

MANILA, Philippines –Joshua “The Passion” Pacio reclaimed the ONE Strawweight MMA World Championship from Jarred “The Monkey God” Brooks  after an unexpected finish to their blockbuster rematch.

Brooks got disqualified by referee Herb Dean after the reigning champion illegally slammed Pacio on his head during the ONE 166: Qatar on Friday night, March 1, at Lusail Sports Arena.

Initially, Brooks animatedly celebrated, thinking he won the match as Dean waved the fight off after a Pacio takedown which the brash American followed up with head strikes 56 seconds into the rematch.

But the official was quick to note the infraction, with Brooks guilty of spiking the Lions Nation MMA’s head to the mat – a clear violation of the global mixed martial arts rules.

Pacio was awarded the victory, but medics were quick to take him to a local medical facility, with updates coming from Qatar stating that the proud Filipino striker is conscious.

While the turn of events stunned Brooks inside the ring, he apologized a few hours later on social media.

“I did not intentionally do anything,” said a sorry Brooks, noting that he wishes Pacio “nothing but the best.”

With the unlikely quick end to the match and the head-to-head showdown tied at 1-1, fans anticipate a Brooks-Pacio trilogy to settle the rivalry.

Earlier in the night,  Jeremy “The Jaguar” Miado also suffered a debilitating first-round submission defeat to Keito “Pocket Monk” Yamakita.

The Filipino standout found himself in trouble and had no choice but to submit to the bulldog choke at the 4:04 mark of round one.

It was a tough loss for the T-Rex MMA bet, who absorbed his third straight defeat after stringing four consecutive victories.

In the main event, Anatoly “Sladkiy” Malykhin made MMA history  as the Russian superstar overpowered Reinier de Ridder to claim the ONE Middleweight MMA World Championship and become the first man in the sport to win three titles in three different weight classes.

Despite De Ridder’s improved striking, Malykhin – widely regarded as the sport’s hardest pound-for-pound puncher – banked on his thunderous boxing combinations.

Malykhin unloaded big blows to the body and head, overwhelming the Dutchman just like in their December 2022 showdown where the Russian knocked out De Ridder to capture the light heavyweight belt.

– Rappler.com