Joshua Pacio to defend ONE strawweight title vs Rene Catalan in Manila

Photo from ONE Championship

MANILA, Philippines—The last ONE Championship event in Manila this year promises to be a slam-bang affair.

An all-Filipino title showdown between strawweight world champion Joshua Pacio and a surging Rene Catalan will headline ONE: Masters of Fate on November 8 at Mall of Asia Arena, the promotion announced Monday.

Pacio and Catalan are both coming off impressive wins in their previous fight.

The 23-year-old Pacio knocked out Yosuke Saruta six months ago in Manila to regain the strawweight strap while Catalan, who is riding on a six-fight winning streak, needed just one round to stop Yoshitaka Naito last March.

Former world champions Eduard Folayang and Geje Eustaquio are also making their return in the card.

Folayang, the two-time lightweight king, faces Amarsanaa Tsogookhuu of Mongolia in the co-main event.

Eustaquio, the ex-flyweight champion, meanwhile, clashes with Toni Tauru of Finland in a rematch. Tauru scored an opening round submission over Eustaquio in their first encounter back in 2016.