ONE Championship results: Joshua Pacio defends title, Pieter Buist upsets Eduard Folayang

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Joshua Pacio showcased stellar grappling ability en route to his second successful strawweight title defense at ONE Championship: Fire & Fury on Friday in Manilla, Philippines, when he met former champion and jiu-jitsu ace Alex Silva.

Silva’s game plan was obvious from the first bell - get the fight to the ground as soon as possible. Pacio evaded his guard pulls and takedowns masterfully over the first five minutes, but the Brazilian forced the fight to the floor on several occasions in the second, testing Pacio’s escapes at one point with a head-and-arm choke. Both had success in the third, although Silva forced him down again, Pacio found his spots, notably cracking the former champion with a knee down the middle at one point.

The champion’s conditioning was the real difference between the two in the championship rounds. Tagging Silva liberally, Silva was left prone on the canvas in attempt to goad Pacio in the grappling exchanges. After a dominant fourth, the champion opened the final stanza with a flying knee and a guillotine attempt. Even with the fight on his terrain, Silva failed to do anything meaningful.

When all was said and done, the young champion took the victory via split decision.

In the co-main event of the evening, Pieter Buist scored his biggest career win over two-time ONE lightweight champion Eduard Folayang. Increasing his win streak to eight consecutive victories, Buist silenced the Manilla crowd with the narrow split decision victory having stepped up to face the promotional legend on two weeks’ notice.