Joshua Pacio losing the ONE Championship strawweight a rather bad day for Team Lakay as four others from its fabled stable fell on the wayside with two of its younger warriors escaping the guillotine on sad December 3 that could go down as a “black” Saturday to what could be the most successful team in the world’s biggest mixed martial arena.
Pacio is now a former champion just like Eduard Folayang and Geje Eustaquio as he could not match the Monkey God’s (Jarred Brooks) speed who attacked him relentlessly including takedowns leading to submission attempts that nearly ended the five round grudge match earlier.
Pacio survived the fourth round after a rear naked choke and lived another day as the sell-out crowd hoped to see the youngest Team Lakay champion lived up to his moniker “Passion” and fight back.
All judges scored in favor of the American who challenged flyweight champion Demetrius Johnson to see if he could fight toe to toe with the American MMA legend.
Despite boos rained down by the crowd, Brooks said that he is actually a nice guy and he has nothing against Filipinos especially the Team Lakay former champion calling his brashness as merely a “show”.
It was a bleak Saturday morning for Team Lakay as Eduard Foalyang started the day losing to Brazilian Edson Marquez. It was a second round stoppage when apparently the Brazilian hit the former three time lightweight champion in the face causing Folayang to drop on the floor and the match stopped by the referee.
Folayang said that he just tripped and he was okay.
Then the Pacio – Brooks started and a pumped up Jenelyn Olsim fell in just 24 seconds when she was tagged by Chinese Meng Bo.
The silver lining though for Team Lakay was its youngest player, coach Mark Sangiao’s namesake and eldest, Jhanlo Mark, who submitted Anacleto Lauron in just one minute and 46 seconds into the match.
“It’s all win from here on,” said Sangiao, who grew up watching his father and the veteran Team Lakay members train day in, day out all his life.
The bonus was that, the young Sangiao was given a US$50,000 bonus.
But it was a wishful thinking of sorts as new Team Lakay member, who won the recent ONE Warrior Series lost to Drex Zamboanga via unanimous decision.
The newly married Jeremy Pacatiw needed just two rounds to submit Brumese Tial Thang. That was worth US$50,000 for Pacatiw.
However, Ho Yung came flying to meet Geje Eustaquio as the Chinese put pressure on the former flyweight king and tagged him viciously before the bell rung for a knockout win.
The Saturday ONE offering saw Brandon Vera retiring after he lost via technical knockout to Irani Amir Aliakbari.
In other matches, Superlek Kiatmoo9 won a spilt decision on rival Panyapak Jitmuangnon, Tagir Khalilov won US$50,000 for first round technical knockout on Chorfah Tor.SangYiennnoi and Lara Fernandez getting a split decision win on Dangkongfah Banchamek. Pigeon Lobien