Facing No. 4 ranked Andrade 'most ambitious' match yet for Pacatiw

Team Lakay's Jeremy Pacatiw will be facing his biggest test yet in his young mixed martial arts career when he takes on No. 4 ranked bantamweight contender Fabricio Andrade in ONE: Full Circle on Feb. 25.

"I’d say that my upcoming fight with Fabricio Andrade will be the most ambitious pursuit I have in my career as I get a chance to face a ranked fighter," said Pacatiw, who has 10 wins and four losses at hand.

Pacatiw made a good first impression in the promotion after pulling off a convincing unanimous decision win against Chinese foe Chen Rui last July.

Prior to that, the Team Lakay stalwart earned a 6-4 record in Bahrain-based promotion BRAVE Combat Federation.

But with a smooth transition to ONE, Pacatiw was given the golden opportunity to be matched up against a ranked fighter just in his second bout.

And the Igorot warrior believes that beating Andrade would make him an inch closer to getting a crack at the belt.

"Getting that win will definitely draw me closer to the top. Indeed, this is another opportunity for me to unleash my skills and I can't wait," said Pacatiw.

Andrade, who holds, a 6-2 slate, has not been defeated in the Circle since his debut last July 2020.

The Brazilian warrior beat the likes of Mark Abelardo, Shoko Sato, Li Kai Wen to earn the bantamweight's No. 4 spot.

Meanwhile, Team Lakay coach Mark Sangiao also knows the threat of Andrade but is confident that Pacatiw will put up a good fight against the Brazilian contender.

"Fabricio Andrade is carrying five wins in a row to his name and we’re not glossing this over," said Sangiao. "But we're also not selling Jeremy Pacatiw short. Our Team Lakay athlete will take great strides to the cage with only one goal, to put his name into that top-flight rankings."

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