Joshua Pacio made the second defence of his ONE Strawweight Championship (125 lbs) on Saturday, defeating Alex Silva via split decision after five rounds of competition. The fight main evented “ONE Championship: Fire & Fury,” which took place at the Mall of Asia Arena in Manila, Philippines.
The fight was focused heavily on the ground game, as Silva was constantly trying for takedowns throughout the fight.
Pacio was in trouble during the second round, having to escape a head and arm choke, and a following heel hook.
Pacio became two-time champion in April, stopping Yosuke Saruta with a fourth-round knee, avenging a previous loss. The first defense of this reign came against Rene Catalan in November, stopping him with an arm triangle within two rounds.
Silva came into the fight on a two-fight winning streak. He has fought 13 times in ONE, making his promotional debut in 2012.
In the co-main event of the evening, Pieter Buist got a split decision victory over Filipino veteran Eduard Folayang.
ONE Championship returns on Friday with “ONE Championship: Warrior’s Code” on February 7th. Headlining the card is a Featherweight Muay Thai Championship bout between Petchmorakot Petchyindee Academy and Jama Yusupov. The show will take place at Istora Senayan in Jakarta, Indonesia.
Read the full report for ONE Championship: Fire & Fury.
JackWannan.com 