Carlo
Quinto
Bolstered by the confidence given to him by his world champion peers, Jeremy "The Juggernaut" Pacatiw is proving to everyone that he truly deserves his spot here at ONE Championship.
But he knows
that the journey necessitates him to constantly reaffirm his position in the
promotion, thus the need to test himself against better and tougher foes.
Pacatiw will
do just that at ONE: FULL CIRCLE when he takes on Fabricio "Wonder
Boy" Andrade on 25 February at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
The
25-year-old upstart is raring for his biggest test yet here at ONE as he battles
the #4-ranked contender in the bantamweight division.
"He is a
complete athlete so I need to prepare myself in every aspect of the game,"
he stated. "There is no easy war. It’s all tough but in different ways. In
the case of my opponent this time, his arsenal is not just loaded but he's very
well loaded."
Pacatiw knows
how tough of a cookie Andrade is, with the Brazilian yet to taste a loss since
joining ONE Championship in 2020.
Andrade is on
a five-fight win streak, with his last victory coming at ONE: WINTER WARRIORS
II back in December where he overwhelmed "The Underdog" Li Kai Wen
with his lethal strikes to eventually pull off the first round technical
knockout win.
Yet as big of
a threat Andrade is in Pacatiw's ascent, the Filipino fighter also presents a
solid case to be considered as one of the weight class' next big things.
Hyper-active
in his promotional debut at ONE: BATTLEGROUND back in July, Pacatiw looked like
he had a fresh set of springs in his step as he imposed his presence on his
opponent Chen "The Ghost" Rui, unleashing a barrage of strikes while
also securing two massive takedowns to display his well-rounded game for the
unanimous decision conquest.
"My win
from my debut fight gave me that extra self-assurance and I’m feeling more confident
than ever," he said, while admitting that he feels he still has a lot to
show for his fans in ONE Championship.
"I have
more to offer that will surely thrill our audience and it is expected every
time we step inside the Circle that we really need to show another version of
ourselves, and that another version is the improved version. We want to show
the world that we are constantly evolving."
Also adding
to Pacatiw's morale was the valuable advice that his fellow Team Lakay members
gave him, with former ONE Bantamweight World Champion Kevin "The
Silencer" Belingon and Stephen "The Sniper" Loman all doing
their part in pushing him in preparation for this match.
"Manong
Kevin and Stephen emphasized the importance of giving your all in every fight,
and that focusing on the game plan should not be minimized. I'm looking forward
to doing just that when I face Andrade," he said.
Curiously,
it's one of the goals that Pacatiw has when he gets his hands raised at the end
of this bout, to join Loman, who currently occupies the #3 spot, and Belingon,
who's at #5, in the top five of the official bantamweight rankings.
"A win
could put me in the ONE Athlete Rankings and also a chance to get closer to a
possible fight for the title. That's my dream here," he said.
Odds may not
be in his favor in the leadup to this match, Pacatiw is banking on his immense
preparation as he shoots for the upset and slowly makes a name for himself like
his fellow Igorot warriors here in ONE Championship.
"In
mixed martial arts, you cannot predict what will happen," he said.
"All I know is I’m coming geared for this fight. I trained so hard for
this match that I don’t doubt what I can do inside the ONE Circle."
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