Former ONE Championship strawweight king Joshua Pacio is back on Friday, October 6th. The Filipino star will make his return at ONE Fight Night 15 on Prime Video against Mansur Malachiev. The strawweight collision will have massive stakes as both men eye a future date with ONE Strawweight MMA World Champion Jarred Brooks.
Massive Stawweight Bout Inked for ONE Fight Night 15
Pacio has not stepped foot back on the canvas since losing his title to Brooks last December. After nearly a year away, “The Passion” hopes to showcase his improvements over a rising contender. Malchiev currently sits four spots behind the top-ranked contender at #5 in the official ONE athlete rankings.
In Malachiev’s promotional debut, he submitted Jeremy Miado in the first-round. The statement-making victory gave Malachiev a platform to become an instant threat. After the bout, he called out Brooks and made his intentions known.
Although he does not draw Brooks for his second bout, the Russian has a prime opportunity in U.S. primetime. With a perfect professional record of 11-0, Malachiev can add the biggest name to his resume to date. However, Pacio will not be an easy out.
The matchup should spark excitement in Bangkok. Both men have over an 80% finishing rate and always look to close the show in style. With a possible title shot looming, each title hopeful will have more than enough reason to leave it all on the mat.
ONE Fight Night 15 airs live on Friday, October 6th, from Lumpinee Boxing Stadium. The action begins at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on Prime Video. The event is free for all U.S. and Canadian Amazon Prime subscribers.
