23-07-2025
Joshua Pacio goes for ONE flyweight world title at ONE 173
ONE strawweight world champion Joshua Pacio of Lions Nation MMA will attempt to become the first two-division champion in Philippine mixed martial arts history when he takes on ONE flyweight world champion Yuya Wakamatsu at ONE 173 on November 16 at Ariaka Arena in Tokyo.
Pacio, 29, is coming off his biggest win to date following a second-round technical knockout over ex-UFC fighter and former world champion Jarred Brooks last February. Already touted by some as the Philippine MMA Greatest of All Time, Pacio previously expressed interest in campaigning a higher weight class.
Yuya Wakamatsu, meanwhile, is on a four-fight winning streak including a win in a rematch over Pacio's teammate Danny Kingad, whom he lost to in the first fight in 2018. His streak also includes a round one stoppage over former world champion Adriano Moraes, whom he also lost to in 2022.
Denice Zamboanga will defend her women's ONE atomweight world title on the same card against Ayaka Miura.
—JKC, GMA Integrated News
