Pacio eyes historic two-division ONE championship win

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

Filipino Mixed Martial Artist (MMA) Joshua Pacio is ready to become the first fighter from the Philippines to become a two-division world champion in the ONE Fighting Championship.

The reigning ONE strawweight king will move up to the 125-lb division to challenge Yuya “Little Piranha” Wakamatsu, a Japanese MMA fighter who is currently the ONE flyweight champion.

If Pacio is able to defeat his Japanese foe, the Filipino superstar will ink his name in the ONE FC history books as the first from the PHL MMA to become a two-division belt holder.

Both stars at the peak of their MMA careers will be sharing the octagon on November 16, 2025, in the star-studded ONE 173 fight card to be held at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan.

Pacio is fresh off a second-round technical knockout victory over his arch-rival, former UFC pug Jarred Brooks, on February 20, 2025.

Brooks was on Pacio’s watch list after the technical KO artist ended his four-fight winning streak to snatch the belt last 2022.

Eager to avenge such a painful loss, both MMA stars met again during the main event of ONE 166, where Pacio was able to level their head-to-head matchup after Brooks got disqualified for an illegal slam.

The tiebreaker happened almost a year later, with Pacio pulling off the one-sided beating that ended with a barrage of hammer fists en route to a TKO dub.

However, this will be a new experience for Pacio, as he will be fighting in a heavier division after years of dominating the strawweight division.

On the other hand, Wakamatsu, a dangerous MMA veteran who is banking on a four-fight winning streak, just crossed out some big names on his list, including Adriano Moraes and Pacio’s fellow Filipino fighter Danny Kingad.

Known as a lethal puncher who can cut the distance with his quick first step, the Japanese daredevil will become one of the toughest tests that Pacio will have to go through.

Wakamatsu currently has an impressive ONE FC record with 19 wins, 13 knockouts, and six losses. He is yet to drop a fight in the last two years and is seeking to extend his winning ways in November.

Can Pacio bring his strength, speed, and lateral quickness once he moves up to the flyweight division? Or will this be another day in the office for Wakamatsu, who will fight in front of his Japanese fans?