‘You Can See The Result’ — Joshua Pacio Shows His Grappling Evolution In Submission Victory Over Mansur Malachiev
Undisputed ONE Strawweight MMA World Champion Joshua “The Passion” Pacio has built an iconic career on rising to the occasion when the lights are brightest, and he delivered a definitive reminder of exactly why he wears the crown in the main event of The Inner Circle 21.
The Filipino superstar stared down terrifying early adversity before emphatically retaining his 26 pounds of gold, submitting Russian wrestling machine Mansur Malachiev with a flawless rear-naked choke at 4:23 of the very first round. The highly anticipated rematch streamed exclusively for members on live.onefc.com from Bangkok’s historic Lumpinee Stadium on Friday, July 10.
Pacio’s historic reign was threatened mere moments after the opening bell rang. The Dagestani standout vehemently dragged the fight to the canvas, immediately secured the defending champion’s back, and locked in a crushing face crank that pushed Pacio to the absolute brink of submission.
Operating without a single trace of panic, “The Passion” expertly slipped free of the danger and completely turned the tables with a beautiful reversal. Once in top position, he unloaded vicious ground-and-pound while relentlessly advancing his positional control.
Then came the coup de grâce. Pacio actively climbed onto Malachiev’s back and cinched in a tight rear-naked choke of his own. The Russian challenger stubbornly refused to tap, and his arms went limp at his sides just seconds later.
“The Passion” recalled:
“I was in trouble. That choke was deep, but I was listening to my jiu-jitsu coach. He said to turn to the right a bit and find space, and I did it. He told me to face Mansur immediately, then I faced him. His energy was gone. I was shocked, so I threw a ground-and-pound.”
Months of deliberate, brutal preparation made that breathtaking sequence possible. As a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu purple belt, Pacio has never shied away from brutally confronting his own weaknesses, and he knew exactly where to focus his energy after his grueling first encounter with Malachiev.
Pacio poured punishing hours into his grappling at Lions Nation MMA, determined to close the exact vulnerabilities he knew existed. Every grueling round, every sparring session, led directly to this defining moment.
He detailed:
“I’ve been joining jiu-jitsu tournaments to strengthen my jiu-jitsu, strengthen my grappling, and here we are. You can see the result.
“It’s about hours of doing jiu-jitsu, doing wrestling, doing the drills. [In this camp] every Tuesday and Thursday night was my nightmare because it’s shark tank day. You know, I’m in the middle and all of them going at me every round, every minute, fresh opponent.”
With the fight emphatically settled on the canvas, Pacio made no attempt to hide his ultimate satisfaction.
Malachiev had publicly and loudly claimed victory in their first encounter despite the judges’ unanimous decision, and the undisputed king permanently erased that lingering narrative by putting the challenger to sleep.
He said:
“If he thinks that he won the first match, that’s not really my problem. He didn’t move on from that fight, and I think that’s one of his weaknesses. The past is past. He needs to move forward and grow from that loss, if I were him. I won the first fight, and I clearly won this fight.”
The Rematch King Strikes Again
Joshua Pacio has made a historic habit of having the final word in rematches. Through three separate, legendary World Title reigns, he has never stopped finding a way back to the mountaintop.
Former ONE World Champions Yoshitaka “Nobita” Naito, Yosuke “The Ninja” Saruta, and Jarred “The Monkey God” Brooks all learned that the hard way. Each had bested him once, but absolutely none of them could finish the story.
Pacio said:
“I’ve been fighting in championship rounds since I was 22 years old. Now I’m 30. That’s my edge coming to this fight: my experience, perseverance, and my faith.
“It’s the adjustments that I do. My teammates and I review the opponents, my weaknesses, and my errors in the past fight. Whether I win or I lose, we review it, and we strengthen it.”
Beyond the gold, the glory, and the highlight-reel finish, the night completely belonged to Pacio and his people. A passionate, devoted wave of Filipino supporters packed Bangkok’s legendary arena, roaring for their champion from start to finish.
“The Passion” rightfully walked away with a US$50,000 performance bonus, but among that sea of faces was someone who made the spectacular night far more personal than any monetary prize ever could.
He concluded:
“I’m so happy. My mom doesn’t watch my fights, live or even on television. She just watches it on replay when I win. I’m happy that she got the confidence to watch my fight live with my wife. That gave me added motivation in this fight.
“To all the Filipino fans who subscribed and watched from the Philippines and all over the world, thank you very much from the bottom of my heart. I’m so grateful.”
