Photo from ONE Championship
Joshua Pacio choked out Chinese opponent Lan Ming Qiang to score the quick victory in the co-main event of ONE: Global Superheroes Friday at Mall of Asia Arena.
The 22-year-old strawweight out of Team Lakay didn’t waste time as he grounded the Sanda champion for the entirety of the first round until finally locking in and scoring the submission win via rear naked choke at the 4:01 mark.
It was a sweet triumph for Pacio, whose pair of losses to Yoshitaka Naito and Hayato Suzuki both came via rear naked choke.
“The two losses I had was via rear naked choke, so I really enhanced my ground skills and I’m thankful to my coaches,” he said.
With the conquest, Pacio (14-2) goy himself in the discussion for the top contenders to reigning ONE Strawweight Champion Alex Silva, an opportunity he’ll gladly accept.
“I signed here to fight. I signed here to give a best show and that’s my goal, to keep winning and improving,” he said.
Lan Ming Qiang, who was a late replacement for the bout after the pullout of Pongsiri Mitsatit, fell to 1-2 in ONE Championship.