Jarred Brooks Dominates Joshua Pacio, Captures Strawweight Crown at ONE 164

The One Championship strawweight division saw its eighth champion crowned in Manila, Philippines, on Saturday.

Jarred Brooks takes the back! 🤼‍♂️ @The_monkeygod#ONE164
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— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) December 3, 2022

The ONE 164 main event featured a clash for the promotional strawweight championship as titleholder Joshua Pacio and Jarred Brooks locked horns in a 125-pound tilt. Ultimate Fighting Championship alum Brooks (20-2, 1NC; 4-0 ONE) brought the heat to his foe right out of the gate, attacking his opponent on the feet before shooting for takedowns. Pacio (19-4, 11-4 ONE) stood his ground on the feet but struggled to contain his foe’s attacks on the canvas. Brooks acquired plenty of top control time through the first three stanzas.

The pace decreased in the championship rounds, where both contestants were happy to keep the action on their feet. “The Monkey God” showcased effective footwork, moving in and out of Pacio’s range. Brooks also came close to finishing the fight in the fourth period after capturing his adversary’s back and sinking in a rear-naked choke attempt, but the bell saved “The Passion” on that occasion. In the fifth, Brooks controlled the pace and let the fight go the distance. After the dust settled, the in-cage announcer revealed Brooks had won the contest by unanimous decision to bring the title back to the United States.

Superlek enters THE MATRIX! 😎#ONE164
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— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) December 3, 2022

In the co-headliner, Superlek and Panpayak collided for the eighth time in their respective careers in a muay thai clash. Both contestants put on a technical fight, and it was clear they knew each other pretty well. Still, neither man risked more than necessary to finish the match inside the distance. Ultimately, one cageside judge sided with Panpayak, while the other two saw it in favor of Superlek, who took home a split-decision victory. The overall score sees four wins for Panpayak, three for Superlek and one draw.

Congrats to Brandon "The Truth" Vera 🇺🇸🇵🇭 on a LEGENDARY career! 👑 @Verafied#ONE164
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— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) December 3, 2022

Elsewhere, Greco-Roman wrestling world champion Amir Aliakbari (12-3, 2-2 ONE) smashed former One heavyweight titleholder Brandon Vera (26-10, 1 NC; 4-3 ONE) with elbows and punches at 3:37 of Round 1, and Vera announced his retirement from mixed martial arts after the defeat; Yong Hu (10-4, 6-1 ONE) annihilated former divisional titleholder Geje Eustaquio (14-9, 11-8 ONE) with a heavy overhand at the 4:43 mark of the first period in their 135-pound clash, pocketing a $50,000 performance bonus in the process; Jeremy Pacatiw (11-5, 2-1 ONE) submitted Tial Thang (3-2, 1NC; 3-2, 1NC ONE) via triangle choke 1:17 into Round 2 in ONE’s 145-pound bantamweight division to earn a performance bonus; in another bantamweight clash, Drex Zamboanga (10-5, 3-0 ONE) upended Adonis Sevilleno (2-3, 0-1 ONE) on all scorecards.

Jhanlo Mark Sangiao 🇵🇭 moves to 5-0 and wins a US$50K bonus for his first-round submission of Anacleto Lauron! 💰#ONE164
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— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) December 3, 2022

On the preliminary card, Jhanlo Mark Sangiao (5-0, 2-0 ONE) forced Anacleto Lauron (1-1, 0-1 ONE) to tap to a rear-naked choke at 1:48 of the first period in a 157-pound catchweight bout to take home a performance bonus; Tagir Khalilov annihilated Chorfah Tor Sangtiannoi with a perfectly-timed uppercut at 2:29 of Round 1 in their 135-pound muay thai contest to capture a performance of the night bonus; Lara Fernandez edged Daokongfah Banchamek thanks to a narrow split decision in their 115-pound muay thai clash; and after she failed to make weight, Meng Bo (20-6, 4-2 ONE) crushed Jennifer Olsim (6-4, 4-3 ONE) with a punch-elbows combination 24 seconds into their 131-pound catchweight matchup.