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| For former teammate Lito Adiwang, Joshua Pacio is the undisputed king of ONE Championship's 125-pound division. ONE Championship (file photos) |
MANILA—Lito "Thunder Kid" Adiwang has no doubt as to who the greatest of all time is when it comes to the ONE Championship strawweight division.
The SOMA Fight Club representative believes there shouldn't be a question as to the status of reigning ONE Strawweight MMA World Champion Joshua "The Passion" Pacio in the weight class, stating there isn't anyone who holds a candle to what his friend has done in the 125-pound division.
Now in his third World Title reign, with seven championship bouts in the weight class, it's hard to argue against Pacio's case as this division's GOAT.
But more than the accolades, what makes the Lions Nation MMA representative so undeniable is how he proves doubters wrong each time—and that includes Adiwang himself, who called the trilogy for Brooks, albeit slightly.
"Every time that people doubt him, he comes out and proves people wrong," Adiwang said.
"I think he truly is this division's GOAT. He deserves to be called this division's greatest."
At age 29, there are still plenty of challenges ahead for the Filipino fighter, and Adiwang knows that things could change when it comes to "The Passion's" stature in the weight class.
"Now we'll see who'll challenge Joshua's stature in the future. For now, though, it is without a doubt that Joshua is the greatest strawweight ever," he said.
Who's next for Pacio?
When asked who he feels is next for his former training partner, Adiwang says there has to be an eliminator first.
The 30-year-old was sold on #3-ranked Bokang Masunyane as the next challenger to the winner of the Pacio-Brooks trilogy, but with the recent struggles of the South African wrestler, he's no longer sure.
"Before, I was actually expecting Bokang to be up next, but he lost in his last fight, so there's that. I guess the best thing is for Yamakita and Bokang to face each other again to determine who gets to face Joshua," Adiwang said.
"I think having the two contenders face each other makes the grind more exciting for either man."
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