Yoshitaka Naito Submits Joshua Pacio to Retain ONE Strawweight Title | MMAWeekly.com

Joshua Pacio needed to fight the perfect fight if he wanted to defeat Yoshitaka Naito. For two rounds, the young Filipino did exactly that. He repeatedly stuffed the takedown attempts of his more experienced Japanese opponent and looked capable of claiming a surprise win in front of the fans at the Thuwunna Stadium in Yangon, Myanmar.

But Naito only needs one opportunity to finish the fight, and in the third round of this ONE: State of Warriors headliner, he got exactly that. Pacio defended a single-leg attempt, but the champion spun him to the ground and instantaneously sunk in his hooks and locked on a rear-naked choke.

There was no escape for Pacio, who was forced to tap out, suffering the first defeat of his career, as well as ending Team Lakay’s incredible 16-fight winning streak. For Naito, it was business as normal, but he had to endure some difficult moments before extending his perfect professional record in Yangon.

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In the opening round, Pacio repeatedly stuffed his takedown attempts and scored with some kicks and punches. The second round brought more of the same. When Naito finally did complete a single leg, he was on the receiving end of a series of punches and elbows thrown by the Filipino from his back.

It was all going according to plan for Pacio until the third round, when he was powerless to prevent Naito from spinning him to the ground and taking his back. The win takes the Japanese fighter’s record to 12-0 and cements his status as the number one strawweight in the world, while his opponent drops to 8-1.

For the fans in attendance in Yangon, the main attraction was undoubtedly Aung La Nsang’s middleweight match-up with Michal Pasternak. The Burmese fighter looked sharp in the opening round, tagging his Polish opponent with kicks and punches and dominating him on the ground.

The pace slowed significantly after the first five minutes, but La Nsang always looked to be in control and he finished the fight in top position, throwing down knees and hammerfists. It was a straightforward decision for the judges, who all awarded the win to the hometown hero.

Afterward, La Nsang addressed the audience in Burmes, but you didn’t need to be a native speaker to realize he was demanding a title shot. With a 19-9-0-1 record and three ONE Championship victories, he has probably earned it. The career of Pasternak (11-2) is moving in the opposite direction after a second straight defeat.

There were also wins for bantamweights Kevin Belingon (14-5) and Yusup Saadulaev (16-4-1). The former registered a routine decision win over Muin Gafurov (10-2), while the latter scored a spectacular submission victory at the expense of Jordan Lucas (8-2), submitting the Australian with a modified rear-naked choke.

Official results for ONE: STATE OF WARRIORS

• Strawweight Championship: Yoshitaka Naito defeats Joshua Pacio by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 1:33 minutes of round 3
• Middleweight: Aung La N Sang defeats Michal Pasternak by Unanimous Decision (UD) after three rounds
• Featherweight: Phoe Thaw defeats Saw Yan Paing by TKO (Strikes) at 3:23 minutes of round 1
• Bantamweight: Kevin Belingon defeats Muin Gafurov by Unanimous Decision (UD) after three rounds
• Bantamweight: Yusup Saadulaev defeats Jordan Lucas by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 4:28 minutes of round 1
• Featherweight: Bashir Ahmad defeats Mahmoud Mohamed by Submission (Heel Hook) at 1:23 minutes of round 1
• Featherweight: Saw Ba Oo defeats Kyal Sin Phyo by Unanimous Decision (UD) after two rounds
• Featherweight: Saw Yan Paing defeats Ye Yint Aung by Unanimous Decision (UD) after two rounds
• Featherweight: Phoe Thaw defeats Kat Pali by TKO (Strikes) at 0:22 minutes of round 1