Pacio, Brooks slated for ONE rubber match

MANILA, Philippines — A trilogy is set to be completed. 

Filipino mixed martial artist Joshua Pacio is set to return to the ONE stage in February next year and will take on bitter rival Jarred Brooks for the undisputed ONE Strawweight MMA world championship. 

They will complete the trilogy at ONE 171: Qatar on February 20, 2025. The match will be held at the Lusail Sports Arena. 

Back in March, Pacio took home the title against Brooks via disqualification. The former was spiked on his head by the latter within the first minute of their bout. 

Brooks connected on some punches on his out-cold opponent, but the match was eventually called a disqualification win for Pacio, who was taken out on a stretcher.

While he was cleared from major head, neck or spine injuries, he aggravated his ACL tear in the fight.

And now, the Filipino is slated to return to the ring after almost a year.

For his part, Brooks will try to bounce back after losing a close split-decision loss against Reece McLaren in a Flyweight MMA matchup just a few days ago. 

The event will also include the return of English kickboxing megastar Jonathan Haggerty, who will defend his ONE bantamweight kickboxing world title against Wei Rui.

In a statement, ONE chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong said that the Qatar event “ is already shaping up to be one of the biggest spectacles of the year.”