{"id":218673,"date":"2025-10-17T01:52:09","date_gmt":"2025-10-17T01:52:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/218673\/"},"modified":"2025-10-17T01:52:09","modified_gmt":"2025-10-17T01:52:09","slug":"ive-gotten-physically-stronger-joshua-pacio-ready-for-flyweight-debut-against-yuya-wakamatsu-at-one-173","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/218673\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018I\u2019ve Gotten Physically Stronger\u2019 \u2013 Joshua Pacio Ready For Flyweight Debut Against Yuya Wakamatsu At ONE 173"},"content":{"rendered":"

ONE Strawweight MMA World Champion Joshua \u201cThe Passion\u201d Pacio<\/a> is in hot pursuit of his second World Title at flyweight, and the Filipino superstar says he is settling into the weight class quite nicely.<\/p>\n

The Lions Nation MMA representative will challenge newly crowned ONE Flyweight MMA World Champion Yuya \u201cLittle Piranha\u201d Wakamatsu<\/a> in the Japanese veteran\u2019s first defense of the gold at ONE 173: Superbon vs. Noiri<\/a>. <\/p>\n

This World Champion versus World Champion showdown will take place live on Sunday, November 16 from Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan.<\/p>\n

Pacio stands tall as arguably the greatest strawweight in ONE Championship history. The 29-year-old has had multiple World Title reigns and has overcome every opponent thrown his way.<\/p>\n

Most recently, he defeated American rival Jarred \u201cThe Monkey God\u201d Brooks<\/a> via second-round TKO in their trilogy bout at ONE 171: Qatar<\/a> this past February, cementing his status as the undisputed 125-pound king.<\/p>\n

However, the chance to become the Philippines\u2019 first-ever two-division MMA World Champion was simply too difficult to overlook:<\/p>\n

\u201cMy main goal was to defend my strawweight title, but I\u2019ll always grab opportunities that ONE Championship gives me. They gave me a chance to fight for the flyweight belt, so here we are.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pacio understands that this legacy-building opportunity demands adaptation. At a higher weight class, he has to be bigger in every way.<\/p>\n

And because he\u2019s taking on the division\u2019s new king in Wakamatsu \u2014 a devastating finisher who sleeps opponents with ruthless precision \u2014 the Filipino is taking his move up to flyweight very seriously.<\/p>\n

So far, \u201cThe Passion\u201d is thriving. He is fueling his body with proper nutrition rather than restricting it, and has unlocked new levels of performance.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Passion\u201d explained:<\/p>\n

\u201cFor this fight, I\u2019m actually quite thrilled. I don\u2019t have to cut weight that much. [Peter Miller] from Condition Nutrition is still guiding me. At strawweight, I had to restrict my calories. Now, I\u2019m quite surprised by the amount I\u2019m able to eat.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m doing the hard training like I usually do, but this time I\u2019m eating a lot of healthy foods. I\u2019m more relaxed, and I\u2019m enjoying my training camp.\u201d<\/p>\n

That being said, Pacio is fully aware of the task at hand. At Lions Nation MMA, he has taken every necessary step to ensure he fills into the flyweight frame.<\/p>\n

The Baguio City native added:<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t exactly bulk up too much, but I can assure you I\u2019ve gotten physically stronger to be ready for this weight class.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe priority is to make sure my body has adjusted well. This is my natural walking weight, but I\u2019ve been fighting at 125 pounds for so long. My body is used to that already. So this is new.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pacio Feels Reborn At Flyweight<\/p>\n

The body transformation goes beyond mere aesthetics. Although Joshua Pacio has become stronger, more robust, and more physically imposing, his body also now rebounds from brutal training sessions faster than ever.<\/p>\n

He says he feels rejuvenated and refreshed \u2014 reborn even. \u201cThe Passion\u201d offered:<\/p>\n

\u201cI really feel extra powerful in this weight class. I feel it in training, too, particularly with my recovery. During my training camps at strawweight, usually fatigue sets in near the end of the week. But right now, I have the same energy levels I had from the start.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel like I\u2019m recovering much faster because I have more nutrients in my body. I\u2019m eating a lot more.\u201d<\/p>\n

For the Filipino, the focus hasn\u2019t just been about adding bulk. His team has meticulously tackled the move to flyweight, prioritizing function over heft.\u00a0Now, he\u2019s confident he can handle Yuya Wakamatsu\u2019s notorious pressure-packed style.<\/p>\n

That confidence stems from a methodical strength-building program:<\/p>\n

\u201cMy strength and conditioning approach was a bit different. We really focused on building raw power for this move.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cBefore I accepted the fight, I already understood that it\u2019s an entirely different weight class in terms of physicality. Not just to weather their strength, but actually match it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Developing explosive force without sacrificing the speed and agility that has defined his game was non-negotiable. Pacio\u2019s quickness has always been his most important weapon. He believes the added muscle hasn\u2019t diminished it. If anything, he says he has become more dangerous than ever.<\/p>\n

The Lions Nation MMA star concluded:<\/p>\n

\u201cThe main thing, of course, is to make sure I don\u2019t lose speed. It\u2019s one of my best attributes, so I made sure it\u2019s still there when I move up a weight class.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"ONE Strawweight MMA World Champion Joshua \u201cThe Passion\u201d Pacio is in hot pursuit of his second World Title…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":218674,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[444],"tags":[49,48,641,638,82],"class_list":{"0":"post-218673","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mma","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-fighting","11":"tag-mma","12":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/218673","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=218673"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/218673\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/218674"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=218673"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=218673"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=218673"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}