ONE Championship strawweight king Joshua Pacio fired back at American fighter Jarred Brooks for the latter's comments last week.
Brooks said that he's going to "rip him apart" and prove that he's the best in the world.
READ: Joshua Pacio wary of stacked strawweight division, remains ready to defend title
Pacio, for his part, remains locked in with his goals and said, "I respect Jarred Brooks, he’s a great athlete, and I think every athlete has dues. Right now, my eyes are on the ranking list."
"One more thing, my brother Lito Adiwang and Jarred were supposed to face each other. Let’s make that match happen first and let’s see if Jarred is really ready to rip me apart," added the 25-year-old Pacio.
READ: Pacio downplays being labeled as 'new face of PH MMA'
Brooks, considered as the top strawweight in the world, was supposed to face another Team Lakay member in Lito Adiwang last April but was scrapped due to COVID-19 concerns.
The American warrior, who used to compete in the UFC and the UFC Fight Night, holds a 16-2 record.
READ: Joshua Pacio unfazed despite being the lone Filipino MMA champion
Brooks last saw action last December 2019 with a unanimous decision win over Haruo Ochi in Bellator 237 while Pacio (19-3) has not fought since beating Alex Silva in January last year for his second title defense.
Pacio hopes to close the mini-feud with these closing words, "Jarred, I am sending more love to you but if in the future you get to face me, I'm telling you now, I'm not giving you a nice walk in the park."
READ: Former champion eyes rematch against Team Lakay’s Pacio
Earlier, the Igorot champion expressed desire to challenge Japanese rival Yosuke Saruta in a trilogy. The two strawweight stars met twice in 2019 and tied their score so far at 1-1.