Pacio draws inspiration from Folayang in journey to the top

Photo from ONE Championship

Drawing inspiration from his Team Lakay senior Eduard Folayang, Joshua Pacio knows that the harder the journey, the sweeter the  reward will be.

“Before [Folayang] got the belt, he went through a lot of ups and downs in his career. He was beaten and was knocked out twice, but I saw the fight still burning in him,” he said of the former ONE Lightweight Champion. “Now, he still goes to the gym and tries to get better and better every day. He taught me a lot about life and its spiritual side, and he taught me positive attitudes that will bring me up in my career.”

With those lessons in mind, Pacio (10-2) is raring to get himself back in title contention when he returns to the cage at ONE: Global Superheroes against Chinese strawweight Lan Ming Qiang on January 26 at Mall of Asia Arena.

Despite the strides he made since his humbling defeats to Yoshitaka Naito at ONE: State of Warriors in October 2016 and to Hayato Suzuki at ONE: Kings and Conquerors last August 2017, the 22-year-old knows that he’s still far from the top performer he desires to be.

“My two losses in my career made me realize just how much more I had to improve so that I can become a better martial artist,” he shared. “I realized that there are a lot of holes in my game, and that the only way to get better is to recognize my weaknesses.”

That’s why Pacio wasn’t satisfied with how he performed at ONE: Legends of the World despite knocking out compatriot Roy Doliguez with a spinning back fist last November.

“It’s more about consistency. To be consistent inside the cage is what I am for at present. I have to win it all if I want to be back in the title contender’s position. A single loss could bring me back to square one. However, I am willing to work for it,” he said.

With a full training camp behind him, Pacio is just excited to delight the home crowd once more with another stellar performance against the tough Lan.

“I see this match as a very exciting one because I know we are both warriors, and I know we will put everything on the line,” he said.