ONE Strawweight World Champion Joshua Pacio was unable to dethrone Japan’s Yuya Wakamatsu for the flyweight crown at ONE 173.
Joshua Pacio could not sustain a promising start as he lost via second round TKO against home bet Yuya Wakamatsu in the co-main event of ONE 173 at the Ariake Arena in Japan on Sunday.
Pacio, who was challenging Wakamatsu for the ONE Flyweight MMA World Championship in his bid to become the first Filipino two-division champion in the Singapore-based promotion, fell victim to thunderous knees from the Japanese.
Despite the loss, the Filipino champion had an optimistic start when he staggered Wakamatsu in the opening round which resulted in them grappling at the Circle’s edge.
But a momentary lapse in focus opened the door for Wakamatsu to get Pacio’s back and the Filipino struggled to regain control in the latter part of the first round.
The Japanese fighter was able to get in some heavy hits, while Pacio struggled to defend himself on the ground.
Despite being saved by the bell in the opening stanza, Pacio could not stop Wakamatsu’s momentum as he was taken down anew.
As Wakamatsu assaulted Pacio with knees, referee Mohamad Sulaiman had no choice but to stop the fight in the early goings of the second round.
With Pacio being the challenger in this fight, he still remains the strawweight title holder in ONE Championship.
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Luisa Morales is a sports writer with a special interest in promoting women’s sports.
Her coverage highlights include the UAAP, PVL, Southeast Asian Games, and the FIBA World Cup. She also follows Alex Eala, the Philippine women’s national football team, and mixed martial arts.