Amid shooting for the ONE Warrior Series: Philippines, Joshua Pacio made sure not to lose track of his top priority and that is to train and defend his ONE Championship strawweight belt.

Pacio, who will be serving as one of the coaches for the ONE Warrior Series set to premiere on Sunday, Sept. 18, recalled juggling his hectic schedule and always finding time to train for his postponed title defense against top-ranked contender Jarred Brooks.
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Pacio and Brooks were initially scheduled to face each other on June 3 due to a "scheduling conflict" but the Team Lakay stalwart was all set for his fourth straight title defense.
"Noong nag-start 'tong show (shooting) na 'to June, handa na ako sa laban. It's June 3rd, laban namin sana ni Brooks pero na-cancel. So physically, mentally naka-ready na ako noon," recalled the 26-year-old Pacio. "So na-cancel 'yong laban, nag-start 'yong show. At least, kailangan ko munang i-relax 'yong katawa ko para 'di ma-fatigue."
Pacio, who remained as the lone Team Lakay and Filipino champion, admitted that being a coach on such a platform, a reality show for this instance, posed a lot of challenges for the young Igorot warrior.
But it did not stop Pacio from all his preparation for Brooks and even persevered each day, being inspired by his students as well over in Team Passion in the show.
After all, there are no excuses for the real champion.
"Hindi pa rin nawawala 'yong training. I always find time to train. 'Yon 'yong trabaho ko. Kahit na hectic 'yong schedule ko sa shooting, meron at merong time sa pag-train," said Pacio, who holds a 19-3 record.
The postponement of the match is somehow a blessing in disguise, said Pacio, as he had more time to prepare when he takes on Brooks on Dec. 3 at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
The Pacio-Brooks title bout headlines ONE 164, marking ONE Championship's first event in the country since January 2020 or prior to the first-ever lockdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
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"Mas may time pa para ma-develop 'yong strength ko, 'yong mga nakikita kong weakneseses ko sa darating na laban," added Pacio.