ONE Championship Results: UFC Veteran Loses Title by DQ After Illegal Slam

This fighter thought he'd defended his title with a highlight-reel finish.

A highly-anticipated title fight rematch at ONE Championship 166 ended in disappointment when the action was called off less than a minute into the fight.

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ONE Championship’s first event in Qatar featured three title fights at the top of the card, the first of which was a rematch between former UFC fighter Jarred Brooks and Joshua Pacio for the promotion’s strawweight (125 lbs.) MMA belt.

“The Monkey God” claimed the strawweight title from Pacio via unanimous decision in their first meeting in 2022, and the 30-year-old was certain he’d successfully defended his belt for the first time when he slammed his opponent to the mat and unloaded with follow-up punches.

Joshua Pacio reclaims the ONE Strawweight MMA World Title by disqualification due to an illegal spike by Jarred Brooks.

Tune in NOW to catch the rest of ONE 166: Qatar!

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🇶🇦 Watch live on beIN SPORTS… pic.twitter.com/a0gX8PkeRK

— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) March 1, 2024

Brooks’ celebration was quickly cut short by referee Herb Dean, who informed the UFC veteran that he'd have to be disqualified since ONE Championship’s ruleset doesn’t allow fighters to spike opponents on their heads.

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The outcome marked another bizarre chapter in Brooks’ fighting career after he also knocked himself out with a slam while competing in the UFC, and the result was also the second-straight disqualification at ONE Championship 166 after Arjan Bhullar was disqualified for inactivity during his fight with Amir Aliakbari.

Pacio likely didn’t anticipate that he’d reclaim the ONE Championship strawweight belt in such controversial fashion, and it would be no surprise to see the promotion book a trilogy bout between “The Passion” and Brooks soon.

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