ONE champ Pacio eyes trilogy vs Saruta in 2021

Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines — Joshua Pacio doesn’t have much to prove after having successfully defended his ONE strawweight strap twice.

But if there’s a fight in 2021 that definitely piques the Team Lakay star’s interest, it’s a third meeting with Yosuke Saruta of Japan.

Saruta earned himself a chance to regain the title after scoring a unanimous decision win over compatriot Yoshitaka Naito last September.

“Right now I think the number one contender is Yosuke Saruta. He just recently defeated Yoshitaka Naito and it was a solid performance. We’ve had two fights so far, with one victory each, so I feel there is some unfinished business there. I’m looking forward to settling that in the Circle,” said Pacio.

Pacio lost to Saruta by split decision in their first encounter in January of last year before exacting revenge three months later via an emphatic knockout.

Since then, Pacio has defended his belt against Filipino Rene Catalan, whom he submitted in the second round in November of last year, and Alex Silva. Pacio beat Silva on points last January.

“I am confident I can defend my belt multiple times. Even now, I am still just 24 years old, I’m still getting better every time.”