JOSHUA PACIO DETAILS HOW HE OVERCOME YOSHITAKA NAITO TO BECOME ONE STRAWWEIGHT WORLD CHAMPION

It took two tries, but finally, Filipino strawweight star Joshua “The Passion” Pacio is now the ONE Strawweight World Champion.

The 22-year old Team Lakay stalwart used his superior striking and much-improved grappling defense to outpoint erstwhile champion Yoshitaka “Nobita” Naito of Japan by unanimous decision in the main event of ONE: CONQUEST OF HEROES at the Jakarta Convention Center in Jakarta, Indonesia last 22 September.

It was the perfect sequel to their 2016 encounter, as Pacio and Naito brought out the best in each other for an action-packed five round affair.

At the end, it was Pacio who left with his hand raised and the world title on his shoulder after earning the victory on all three of the judges’ scorecards.

“Yoshitaka Naito is a very patient inside the cage,” Pacio said after 25-minute bout. “Plus, he can absorb some hard shots without slowing down. He’s really hard to go against because he keeps moving forward, no matter what you throw at him.”

And while it was something that Pacio had to deal with, Naito’s toughness was not an unexpected aspect of the Japanese star’s game.

“I expected for him to be able to take my hardest shots,” Pacio explained. “If you look back at his match with Dejdamrong Sor Amnuaysirichoke, he absorbed a lot of kicks and punches but he kept powering forward, so I expected that he’d be able to do the same against me.”

“I hurt him with a kick to the body in the first round and while it did have him on the defensive for a bit, he’s really strong and he kept pushing for the takedowns. I knew he could take those hard shots.” he added.

While Pacio did impose his will on standup department, it was his ground defense that ultimately may have secured him the championship.

Pacio did a good job of defending takedowns in the early rounds, but Naito eventually managed to take the Filipino down. From there however, Pacio managed to stifle any attempts at offense that Naito attempted.

“Yes, he did manage to take me down, but I kept him from passing my guard and gaining any positional advantage,” he elaborated. “Even if he scored the takedown, if he couldn’t pass guard or move into a better and more advantageous position, he wouldn’t be able to score any points because he was just stuck in guard.”

And even on his back, Pacio made sure to stay busy by punishing Naito with strikes from the bottom position.

“While on top, he was punching me a bit, but I was answering back with some elbows of my own, so I believe it was a close fight on the ground. Standing up, Naito was able to tag me a few times, so it shows that he really worked on his striking as well.”

That night however, belonged to Pacio, who becomes the third member of Team Lakay to become a ONE World Champion in 2018, joining reigning ONE Interim Bantamweight World Champion Kevin Belingon and reigning ONE Flyweight World Champion Geje Eustaquio.

“I’m so happy, I can’t explain what I’m feeling right now,” and elated Pacio admitted. “I did not know whether I was going cry or laugh when they announced the decision after the bout. It was an unexplainable feeling.”

For more updates on ONE Championship, please visit www.onefc.com, follow us on Twitter and Instagram @ONEChampionship, and like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ONEChampionship.

About ONE Championship™

ONE Championship is the largest global sports media property in Asian history. Headquartered in Singapore, ONE Championship is the home of martial arts and is the world's largest martial arts organization, hosting bouts across all styles of martial arts such as Muay Thai, Kickboxing, Karate, Kung Fu, Silat, Sanda, Lethwei, Mixed Martial Arts, Tae Kwon Do, Submission Grappling, and more. The world’s most exciting martial arts organization hosts the largest sports entertainment events across Asia, featuring some of the world's best martial artists and world champions, all signed to exclusive contracts, on the largest media broadcast in Asia. In addition to its digital platforms, ONE Championship broadcasts to over 1.7 billion potential viewers across 138 countries around the world with some of the largest global broadcasters, including Fox Sports, ABS-CBN, Astro, ClaroSports, Bandsports, Startimes, Premier Sports, Thairath TV, Skynet, Mediacorp, OSN, and more.

Ma Hao Bin hopes to elevate Chinese martial arts through his ONE Championship stint

China has a deep and rich history when it comes to martial arts. Over centuries, the Chinese have developed hundreds of styles of combat that fall under more the popular disciplines of Wushu and Kung Fu. 

On a mainstream standpoint, Chinese stars like Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan and Jet Li have all become popular all over the world after brining their martial arts skills onto the silver screen. 

These have made China one of the Asian countries synonymous to martial arts. Recently, China has also made gigantic strides in the world of mixed martial arts. 

Earlier this year, the first mixed martial arts world champion was crowned, with “The Panda” Xiong Jing Nan capturing the inaugural ONE Women’s Strawweight World Championship in clinical and dismantling fashion against previously-undefeated Singaporean Tiffany Teo back in January. 

Already with two successful title defenses this year, including a dominant knockout win over Brazilian champion Samara “Marituba” Santos in Shanghai in early September, Xiong is set to take on the biggest challenge of her career when she puts the ONE Women’s Strawweight Championship on the line against reigning ONE Women’s Atomweight Champions Angela Lee in a champion-versus-champion clash in Singapore this November. 

A win over Lee not only makes it three successful title defenses for Xiong in 2018, but it will also help put Chinese mixed martial arts on the map. 

While Xiong, being a world champion, has the biggest platform to help elevate the state of the sport in China, there are a handful of other Chinese mixed martial artists who are helping the cause as well. 

Among them is Chinese flyweight sensation “The Southern Eagle” Ma Hao Bin. 

The Nanchang, China-based grappler has had an impressive run on the ONE Championship stage, piling a remarkable 6-1 win-loss standing in the promotion. 

The ONE Changsha Bantamweight Tournament Champion will look to make it seven wins under the organization’s umbrella when he meets former ONE Flyweight World Champion Kairat “The Kazakh” Akhmetov at ONE: CONQUEST OF HEROES on Saturday, 22 September in Jakarta, Indonesia. 

Before becoming one of China’s most promising mixed martial artists, Ma was an elite Greco-Roman wrestler who went on to become a Chinese National Wrestling Champion. 

In 2016, Ma took the leap into mixed martial arts and immediately made a splash in ONE Championship, winning his first two bouts via submission with a combined time of just one minute and 35 seconds. 

Now with a professional record of 11-3, Ma is looking to bounce back from his most recent defeat, and his next test against Akhmetov, a former world champion, is arguably his toughest to date. 

For the 24-year old Chinese prodigy, it’s simply part of the journey as he tries to follow the footsteps of Xiong and become a world champion as well. 

“I did not reach all of my goals in wrestling, so that is why I am chasing my dreams in the cage now,” Ma shared on ONE Championship’s official website. 

Reaching that level of success, Ma believes that his current stature will not only help take his career to new heights, but also help the martial arts scene in China as well. 

“I hope to see martial artists have a great future in China, so that more people will get to know and love martial arts,” he expressed. 

Competing in the biggest martial arts organization in the world will surely help, and Ma is out to make the most of that opportunity. 

“I want more people around me to know about martial arts through my efforts, and that means I am working for the honor of my country,” he declared.

For more updates on ONE Championship, please visit www.onefc.com, follow us on Twitter and Instagram @ONEChampionship, and like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ONEChampionship.

Jakarta Will Play Host to Maiden ONE Championship Appearances of Japanese Knockout Artists

From fearless strikers to elite submission grapplers, Japan has provided the forever-expanding world of mixed martial arts with a long list of extraordinary athletes with the likes of Caol Uno, Hayato Sakurai, Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto, Takanori “Fireball Kid” Gomi and Kazushi Sakuraba.

Knowing the relevance of Japanese combatants in the sport, ONE Championship houses the best and brightest competitors from “The Land of the Rising Sun” as they form an integral part of the roster, with exciting prizefighters such as Koji Ando and Kotetsu Boku, as well as the legendary Shinya Aoki and ONE Strawweight World Champion Yoshitaka Naito.

Other Japanese members of the ONE Championship locker room are Mei Yamaguchi, Hayato Suzuki, Riku Shibuya, Tetsuya Yamada, Yuki Kondo, Kazunori Yokota, Nobutatsu Suzuki and Masakazu Imanari.

In preparation for its first venture into Japan in the first quarter of 2019, ONE Championship has bolstered its promising pool of world-class talents with the acquisition of Japanese prospects Yuya “Little Piranha” Wakamatsu and Koyomi Matsushima.

Both men will make their respective promotional debuts on the undercard of ONE: CONQUEST OF HEROES, which takes place at the Jakarta Convention Center in Indonesia on 22 September.

Holding a professional record of 10-2, Wakamatsu is an aggressive knockout artist with shocking power.

With nine of his ten victories coming by way of knockout, the 23-year-old native of Kagoshima, Japan is a force to be reckoned with at flyweight.

“I am happy to be part of the growing ONE Championship family. I would also like to thank everyone who made this possible. I can’t wait to have my promotional debut and exhibit what I am capable of doing,” Wakamatsu stated.

A winner of ten of his last 11 bouts, Wakamatsu has decided to direct his career path to ONE Championship, locking horns with former ONE Flyweight World Championship challenger Danny “The King” Kingad in his first assignment under the promotion’s banner on 22 September.

“The fans must not blink every time I am inside the ring or cage because I could finish the contest at any time,” Wakamatsu promised.

On the other hand, Matsushima is one of the fastest rising mixed martial artists hailing from Kanagawa prefecture located in the Kantō region of Japan.

With a win-loss standing of 9-3, Matsushima has put together a handful of solid performances while competing in local Japanese promotions such as Pancrase and Shooto.

Having a penchant for scoring highlight-reel stoppages, Matsushima owns five victories by knockouts and has shared the cage with notable names outside of ONE Championship, including Rolando Gabriel Dy and Kyle Aguon.

“I am honored to be part of this world-class martial arts organization. With ONE Championship opening its doors for other martial artists like me to join and showcase our talent on a global stage, it means a lot to me as an athlete,” Matsushima said.

Matsushima brings his all-action style to ONE Championship when he makes his first appearance on 22 September against ex-featherweight kingpin Marat “The Cobra” Gafurov at ONE: CONQUEST OF HEROES.

“This is a new challenge, and I love challenges. I am looking forward to my debut in ONE Championship,” Matsushima declared.

ONE: CONQUEST OF HEROES is headlined by a scheduled five-round strawweight championship rematch between division champion Naito and Filipino rival Joshua Pacio.

For more updates on ONE Championship, please visit www.onefc.com, follow us on Twitter and Instagram @ONEChampionship, and like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ONEChampionship.

Three Elite Martial Artists Set to Make their ONE Super Series Debut at ONE: BEYOND THE HORIZON

Since its debut back in April, ONE Super Series has become widely successful, providing fans the most exciting martial arts action from some of the world’s premier martial artists.

Bannered by Muay Thai and kickboxing icons such as Giorgio Petrosyan, Nong-O Gaiyanghadao and reigning ONE Kickboxing Atomweight World Champion Kai Ting Chuang just to name a few, ONE Championship has done a masterful job of bringing in the cream of the crop from the combat sports world.

As the highly-acclaimed ONE Super Series continues to grow in terms of popularity, more and more world class talent is set to come in.

At ONE: BEYOND THE HORIZON on Saturday, 8 September in Shanghai, China, three more elite martial artists are set to make their promotional debut.

At 25 years of age, Hakim Hamech is still relatively young, but he already has a wealth of experience in Muay Thai and kickboxing.

The native of Lyon, France is a former two-time world champion in Muay Thai and possesses an impressive 42-8 professional record.

A veteran of promotions such as K-1, Glory of Heroes and many others, Hamech will finally be taking his talents to the biggest martial arts stage in the world.

Welcoming him to ONE Championship will be Japanese Muay Thai star Yukinori Ogasawara, who is coming off a big knockout win over Rui Botelho in Macau this past June.

Hamech and Ogasawara will meet in a three-round ONE Super Series Flyweight Muay Thai contest.

“I’m extremely excited to finally be part of the ONE Championship family and get the chance to showcase my talents on the ONE Super Series stage,” said Hamech. “This is the big leagues, and I’m ready to show that I’m here to be the best.”

Also making his highly-anticipated ONE Championship debut will be Italian Muay Thai and kickboxing star Mustapha “The Flying Dragon” Haida.

The 29-year-old Haida boasts an impressive resume, which includes an ISKA World Championship to go along with a 38-7-3 professional record with 20 wins coming via knockout.

At one point in his career, Haida was considered as one of the top ten welterweight kickboxers in the world.

Haida has performed on big stages such as Glory, Kunlun Fight, Venum Victory World Series and most recently Bellator Kickboxing.

Now, Haida steps under the bright lights of the ONE Super Series, where he will be facing Australian martial arts star Daniel Dawson, who is also set to make his maiden ONE Championship appearance.

“It’s a big honor to be on a stage as big as ONE Championship, and I’m happy that I get to make my debut against someone as decorated and as experienced as Daniel Dawson,” Haida stated. “We will definitely give the fans in Shanghai an exciting show.”

Easily the most experienced of the three newcomers, Perth, Dawson brings with him an extensive combined boxing and kickboxing record of 112 bouts with 93 wins and 57 wins via knockout.

With 26 years of experience under his belt, Dawson has collected countless championships, including world championships in boxing and Muay Thai and eight world championship runs in kickboxing.

The 40-year-old Dawson has competed all over the world in promotions such as K-1, Shoot Boxing and Judgement Day.

Dawson finally steps onto the biggest stage of his career when he makes promotional debut.

“I’m really looking forward to be under the bright lights and in one of the biggest stages there is in martial arts,” Dawson expressed.

“Of course, for me to be able to compete on a stage like this, I’m one of those fighters that the bigger the crowd, the bigger the energy, the more I love it, so I’m just really excited and super pumped to be on this trip, on this show,” he added.

Haida and Dawson will square off against each other in a ONE Super Series 72.5-kilogram kickboxing clash.

Headlining ONE: BEYOND THE HORIZON will be China’s “The Panda” Xiong Jing Nan, defending the ONE Women’s Strawweight World Championship against Brazilian challenger Samara “Marituba” Santos.

Also featured on the card is a showdown between two of Asia’s top mixed martial arts stables as Singaporean knockout artist Amir Khan takes on former ONE Featherweight World Champion Honorio “The Rock” Banario of the Philippines in a crucial lightweight contest.

Meanwhile, former ONE Featherweight World Championship contender Christian “The Warrior” Lee of Singapore dukes it out with the hard-hitting Filipino martial arts hero Edward “The Ferocious” Kelly.

For more updates on ONE Championship, please visit www.onefc.com, follow us on Twitter and Instagram @ONEChampionship, and like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ONEChampionship.