March 29, 2024

Reigning ONE strawweight world champion Joshua Pacio is keeping a close eye on the result of the duel between Miao Li Tao and former champion Alex Silva on weekend.
The winner will most likely challenge Pacio for a championship bout in the future.
While waiting for his future opponent, Pacio continues with his high-altitude training in Baguio and Benguet even during this pandemic.
“The wait continues, but as I wait, I’m continuously improving. I’m very excited and I cannot wait to get back inside the ONE circle to show how well I have improved,” said Pacio, who is the only Filipino titleholder in the promotion.
“The fight between Miao Li Tao and Alex Silva is surely a thrilling bout. Miao is an aggressive and explosive athlete, but Alex, on the other hand, is very dangerous, especially on the ground,” Pacio said.
It definitely is shaping up to be an exciting duel between two of the promotion’s best when it comes to the grappling game, an exciting showdown which could very well determine the next in line for a shot at Pacio’s crown.
Silva’s prowess in Brazilian jiu-jitsu is well documented, one that has allowed him to reach the pinnacle of the weight division when he won the ONE strawweight world belt against Yoshitaka Naito in December 2017.
He was the last man Pacio fought, with the Filipino narrowly escaping with the belt in tow with a split decision victory in their championship clash in January 2020.
Nonetheless, Silva remains a competent contender, thus his place as the fifth ranked challenger in the ONE athlete rankings.
Meanwhile, Miao has been on the ascent. The Chinese sanda specialist has added Brazilian jiu-jitsu to his arsenal and what better statement for him to announce his intentions for the belt than displaying that against a talent like Silva.
But Pacio has also seen Miao’s weak points when the Chinese fought Jeremy Miado in November 2019. Miao found himself knocked out with a flying knee to suffer a first-round knockout defeat at the hands of the Filipino fighter. – Harley F. Palangchao