Sports
Jeremy Pacatiw promises to showcase new skill set at ONE Fight Night 21: 'I keep doing my part'
Jeremy Pacatiw promises to showcase new skill set at ONE Fight Night 21: 'I keep doing my part'
At A Glance
- Pacatiw returns to the all-encompassing sport against Wang Shuo at ONE Fight Night 21: Eersel vs. Nicolas in a three-round bantamweight MMA bout set inside Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand on April 6.
Jeremy “The Juggernaut” Pacatiw may not have competed in MMA for some time, but that doesn’t mean he’s been stagnant.
Pacatiw returns to the all-encompassing sport against Wang Shuo at ONE Fight Night 21: Eersel vs. Nicolas in a three-round bantamweight MMA bout set inside Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand on April 6.
The 27-year-old last competed in ONE Championship at ONE 164 when he submitted Tial Thang and earned a US$50K performance bonus for the win.
That victory, however, happened over a year ago, and Pacatiw hasn’t competed since – well, at least not in MMA.
The Filipino made the most of his offseason by representing the Philippine National Kickboxing team at the Southeast Asian Games. There, he won a silver medal. He’s also been working on his jiu-jitsu and was promoted to blue belt by Professor Gibran Langbyan last year.
“Continuing to grow in kickboxing and BJJ is very important. It’s all about expanding your knowledge in these sports, particularly in jiu-jitsu. It’s the little details, details that we usually miss out normally, that we improve and work on,” he said.
“I also had a good run in kickboxing. I was able to participate in the Southeast Asian Games. There are a lot of things that I’ve learned from that,” he said.
“If one door closes, another door opens. I just made the most out of the situation while I was waiting for [my next MMA] fight.”
Pacatiw believes nothing will ever emulate an MMA fight, but because he competed in at least some martial arts, he’s happy with his recent growth.
“Sure there’s a slight disadvantage. I haven’t competed for quite some time so there’s that, but I have always been diligent,” he said.
“I’ve always looked to develop what needs to be developed despite being on the sidelines.”
That said, Pacatiw is confident that his layoff won’t play a role in this fight, especially since he’s done everything he could to stay active.
“As an athlete, I keep doing my part. Whether I have a fight or not, I’m always at the gym, helping out those who have a scheduled fight. I believe that when you’re active in training, ring rust won’t really be a problem,” he said.