Filipino star Joshua Pacio draws new assignment at ONE: GLOBAL SUPERHEROES

Strawweight star Joshua “The Passion” Pacio is still set for action at ONE: GLOBAL SUPERHEROES, but he’ll be facing a new opponent.

Filipino Pacio was originally scheduled to face the undefeated Pongsiri “The Smiling Assassin” Mitsatit in the night’s co-main event, but the Thai star was forced to pull out of the contest one week before the event.

ONE Championship officials have found an alternative opponent for Pacio – China’s Lan Ming Qiang, who’ll make his ONE Championship debut against the popular Filipino at the Mall of Asia Arena on Friday, 26 January.

“I was excited about my bout with Pongsiri, because it would have been a clash of the young guns,” said Pacio.

“I am not disappointed because it is safety first. If I was the one sick or injured, I would not compete either, so I hope he recovers fast and gets back on track.

“Lan Ming Qiang is my new opponent now, and I need to adopt quickly to his style. But our game plan is still the same, and I will execute that on 26 January.”

China’s Lan is a national sanda champion who trains alongside flyweight world title contender “The Southern Eagle” Ma Hao Bin at the Jincan Defense Club. He comes into ONE Championship with a 16-2 sanda record and several titles under his belt. He’s recently switched his attention to the cage.

Lan says he’s ready to take his unexpected opportunity with both hands and make a big impression on his short-notice debut.

“For this bout, my strategy is to win it on my feet through striking.”

Pacio, meanwhile, has continued his preparations with his head coach Mark Sangiao and his teammates from Team Lakay. His original, high-profile, opponent may have fallen off the card, but Pacio still sees the event as an opportunity to make a statement with an impressive win.

The wushu artist Pacio scored a spectacular knockout victory on his last appearance, when he stunned Roy Doliguez with a sensational spinning backfist in November. The finish was so impressive it was ranked fifth in ONE’s Best Knockouts of 2017.

Now “The Passion” is ready to deliver another performance to leave the fans in awe once again, though the Filipino admits he must be on his guard against his new opponent.

“The toughest thing about Lan’s skill set is his striking game, but I think I have competed against some of the best strikers in my division,” he said.

“I see this match as a very exciting one, because I know we are both warriors, and I know we will put everything on the line on the 26th. I expect that Lan will be explosive and hungry, so I will stick to our game plan and get the win.”