‘Healing My Inner Child’ – How Joshua Pacio’s Love For Sneakers Goes Deeper Than The Collection
For most of his childhood, reigning ONE Strawweight MMA World Champion Joshua “The Passion” Pacio could only admire premium sneakers from the other side of a store window. Today, every single pair he owns was earned one deliberate, carefully chosen purchase at a time.
Before the Filipino superstar defends his twenty-six pounds of gold in a high-stakes World Title rematch against Mansur Malachiev at The Inner Circle 21, he took a moment to reflect on his sneaker obsession. The blockbuster card streams live in Asia primetime on Friday, July 10, from Bangkok’s historic Lumpinee Stadium, exclusively for members on live.onefc.com.
The stark contrast between his impoverished youth and his current reality runs much deeper than material success, serving as a quiet reflection of the man he has become along the way.
The Kid Who Could Only Look
The young star spent his youth fascinated by vibrant footwear, although he was forced to simply marvel from afar outside the glass storefronts of local shopping malls. Those early days instilled a deep appreciation for the shoes he thought he would never be able to afford.
Growing up in the lush Philippine mountainside of La Trinidad, Benguet, life was undoubtedly hard. Providing basic day-to-day necessities was the absolute priority within the modest Pacio household, leaving zero room for luxuries.
The Baguio City native recalled:
“Growing up I didn’t have the means to buy shoes. I was more of a window-shopping kind of guy. But my fascination for sneakers actually started late in life.
“I got into it because of a friend who was a sneakerhead. When we went to the US with kuya Eduard, that’s where it reached its peak.”
Pacio eventually shattered those financial barriers through martial arts, capturing the strawweight division’s ultimate prize across three separate, historic reigns. This newfound stability finally allowed him to own the items he had spent his adolescence dreaming about.
For “The Passion,” it was a quiet act of reckoning — securing a piece of happiness for the boy who once had none.
He shared:
“Especially in the beginning my thought process was I wasn’t able to indulge on this during my childhood because things were tight. It’s a bit about healing my inner child, you know, your happiness as a kid that you finally turned it into a reality.”
Sneakers As An Art Form
As his collection grew, his relationship with footwear naturally evolved. What began as a pursuit of heat quickly matured, with flashy statement pieces giving way to reliable beaters suited for a martial artist’s daily demands.
The appeal was no longer purely aesthetic, transforming instead into a daily source of comfort and inspiration.
Pacio said:
“I actually see it as an art form of some sort. The style of the shoe and the aesthetic of it all. But it goes beyond the looks for me. I love to run. Lately been digging these vibrant Asics colorways. I just love the color and it’s fun to look at and wear at the same time.”
His early obsession with flair eventually gave way to a growing sense of sophistication. Instead of chasing the latest drops just to have them, the 30-year-old now curates quieter, highly practical choices tailored to his active lifestyle.
Needless to say, his fashion sense has matured. Today, the Filipino star opts for function over form.
He added:
“Early on I was a Nike guy, swag over comfort. I’m more of a function-over-look type of guy now. Before, I owned shoes I couldn’t wear because they were too nice. Now, I just want simple ones. Like slip-ons you don’t have to tie. I’m even wearing Crocs now so yeah, my tastes have changed.”
Beyond A Simple Pair
At the height of his collecting days, Pacio admits to getting carried away with one particular purchase. A coveted collaboration between a global athletic brand and his all-time favorite basketball player proved impossible to resist, overriding any sense of practicality.
As of this moment, the deadstock pair sits untouched in his cabinet as a lingering reminder of a moment in time he dropped a large sum of money on a pair of shoes he has yet to even wear.
He explained:
“A few years back I got this limited edition Stephen Curry Under Armor shoes for around 25 to 30,000 pesos. To be fair, I still haven’t used it yet. It’s still in the box. I don’t even know why I bought it. I just loved it at the time.”
Despite standing as the holy grail of his collection, however, those Stephen Curry sneakers are far from his most meaningful possession. What Pacio cherishes most transcends any price tag, as a deeply personal token from his closest companions easily holds the top spot in his footwear rotation.
He said:
“As far as sentimental value, I love the recent Kobe Bryant Air Force 1s Low Whites that my friends gifted to me. It’s an all-white shoe so I take extra care of it. I don’t even drive using it because it gets creased. When I use it I drive with my slippers on and just change in the car.”
Giving More Than He Keeps
The kid who once pressed his face against shop windows never forgot where he came from. If anything, unprecedented success made him more restrained, not indulgent.
Getting married brought new priorities into sharp focus, deepening his appreciation for what truly matters beyond material wealth.
The Lions Nation MMA affiliate noted:
“It’s still about spending smart. I will not spend too much or an extravagant amount. You can admire it but at the end of the day it’s just shoes. I still do not go above my means when it comes to shoes. If it’s fairly priced and I really like it, I’ll buy it.”
Ultimately, Pacio insists he has never been a sneaker collector driven by endless accumulation or flexing the size of his haul.
Instead, the Baguio City native has simply grown into his values, finding true fulfillment in sharing his blessings with those around him.
He concluded:
“To be honest, I no longer own that much because I mostly gave a lot of my shoes away to friends and family. Right now I don’t have a lot, maybe just more than 10 in the rotation.”
