The first of three title fights at Friday’s ONE 166 in Qatar saw strawweight champ Jarred Brooks run it back with ex-champ Joshua Pacio, and not surprisingly, things got off to a quick start.
Brooks, a former UFC flyweight who was perhaps the most notable casualty of the promotion nearly cutting the 125lb division years ago, entered the bout having not lost a fight since 2018. He went right after Pacio, taking the back while standing then hoisting the challenger up and slamming him down before jumping on the back. From there, ground n’ pound flowed, and it appeared Brooks had a quick TKO win.
Not so fast. Referee Herb Dean had detected a spike in that takedown, with replays showing Joshua Pacio had been dropped on his head. A confusing scene then ensued. While Dean was still explaining the situation to Brooks, the announcement was made that Pacio had won via DQ, with neither man at center for the result being read. Nor was either fighter interviewed following the announcement, though Brooks was clearly beside himself.
A confusing, chaotic scene in Qatar, and the second straight DQ on the card. One fight earlier, Arjan Bhullar had been disqualified from his bout with Amir Aliakbari after repeatedly refusing to engage.
As for the title changing hands via DQ, it is reminiscent of Aljamain Sterling claiming bantamweight old in the UFC after being illegally kneed by Petr Yan. Still not the way anyone wanted to see Jarred Brooks vs. Joshua Pacio II end, and it almost certainly sets up a third meeting.
Official Result: Joshua Pacio def. Jarred Brooks (c) by DQ (spike), Round 1, 0:56 — for the ONE strawweight championship
