Joshua Pacio, Yosuke Saruta On ONE Strawweight Title Fight

Joshua Pacio defends his strawwweight title at ONE: Eternal Glory against top challenger Yosuke Saruta in the main event.

The card takes place on January 19 from Jakarta, Indonesia. The two recently held media day workouts for fight fans in Asia along with others scheduled for action on the card.

Pacio, a 23-year-old from the Philippines, is 13-2 with 11 finishes during his career. He carries a four-fight win streak into the bout, which includes submissions of Pongsiri Mitsatit and Ming Qiang Lan.

“I feel I am at my best right now. After a tremendous training camp, I’m ready to step up to the plate and defend my title,” Pacio said. “This World Title means everything to me. It represents all the hard work that me and my team have put in. Now it’s time to reap the fruits of our labor. Coach Mark (Sangiao) has come up with a great game plan for me and I will do my best to execute it.

“Yosuke is a very dangerous opponent and I am not taking him lightly. I have prepared for the toughest challenge of my career, and I plan to showcase the best version of Joshua Pacio in the fight.”

Saruta, 31 years old and fighting out of Japan, is 18-8 with five knockouts and a pair of submission wins to his credit. He is 8-1-1 over his last 10 fights dating back to 2016.

“First of all, I would like to thank ONE Championship for the opportunity to challenge for the ONE Strawweight World Championship,” Saruta said. “It is certainly an honor. When I made my debut a few months ago, I wanted to make a statement. I wanted to prove to the world that I am ready for a title shot immediately. That is what I have done and now we are here.

“I am confident that at the end of the night, I will leave the arena with my hands raised in victory and with the World Title around my waist. Joshua Pacio is a great champion, but I feel I have the tools necessary to defeat him. It’s going to be an interesting matchup. I vow to give my best performance.”