Dejdamrong Sor Amnuaysirichoke is fully aware of Joshua Pacio's outstanding reputation inside the ONE Championship cage as both men are scheduled to face each other on the undercard of ONE: WARRIOR KINGDOM in Bangkok, Thailand on 11 March.
Pacio holds an impressive 8-1 professional mixed martial arts (MMA) record and is one of the most highly-regarded strawweight prospects in the Asian region today.
A member and a proud product of the legendary Team Lakay in La Trinidad, Benguet, Pacio is a Wushu specialist with a solid well-rounded skillset.
All eight of his career victories have come by finish, including five wins by impressive submission and three triumphs by spectacular knockout.
“Pacio is a well-rounded fighter, and I have a lot of respect for him. He has good striking. He is good on the ground as well. Joshua Pacio is such a talented fighter,” Dejdamrong said of his opponent.
Despite the worthy praise that he has given to Pacio, Dejdamrong is confident that he can handle the versatility of his Filipino foe inside the cage.
“For this fight, I’ve trained as hard as ever. I have continued to improve my overall MMA game. I’ve also worked on my ground skills, both offensively and defensively. I'm very excited to test these out in the cage in March,” he stated.
Although Pacio has a knack of finishing his cage counterparts on the canvas, Dejdamrong has no qualms if he will deal with the Filipino standout on the ground.
With the aim to be a more versatile competitor than Pacio, the 38-year-old Thai stalwart revealed that he worked extensively on his ground game in training camp.
“If the fight goes to the ground, I'm comfortable and confident in my grappling skills to get the submission,” said Dejdamrong, who trains with elite grappling specialists such as Shinya Aoki, Alex Silva and Bruno Pucci at Evolve MMA.
Pacio and Dejdamrong possess superb striking pedigrees, but the latter believes that he has the upper hand in the stand-up department.
“I believe I'll have the edge in striking because of my Muay Thai experience. I know he has a background in Wushu, but striking is so natural to me,” he asserted.
Dejdamrong is a three-time Lumpinee Stadium Muay Thai world champion with over 25 years of competitive experience.
In addition, Dejdamrong is known as a technical striker with quick hands and lightning feet, employing some of the most unique and creative combinations.
“Joshua Pacio can fight standing up or on the ground. If he wants to strike with me, I have no problem with that. I am so ready for this fight. I train twice a day, mixing grappling, striking, wrestling, and many other disciplines,” Dejdamrong warned.
Dejdamrong hopes that if he secures a decisive win over Pacio, it will grant him a rematch with Yoshitaka Naito for the ONE Strawweight World Championship belt later this year.
“Fighting in Bangkok again means a lot to me. A win on 11 March is an important step towards fighting for the world title again,” he said. “I have trained hard for this comeback bout, and I want to avenge my loss to Naito."
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