Former ONE strawweight king Joshua Pacio now has the extra motivation while he prepares to return to action against undefeated Dagestani Mansur Malachiev in ONE Fight Night 15: Le vs. Freymanov.

Thanks to Lions Nation founder Eduard Folayang, who halted Amir Khan in their rematch recently, Pacio is climbing the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok with renewed vigor.

"Nung pinapanood ko yung laban ni kuya Eduard, hyped na hyped ako. I was so hyped and dagdag motivation 'yun coming to this fight. Talagang yun ang isa pang nagpaexcite sa akin lumaban," said Pacio.

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"Kaya this week, there’s no pressure, only excitement. Talagang narerelax ako knowing na nandito yung team supporting me. It’s very heartwarming."

Pacio admitted it will be a tough challenge taking on Malachiev, who is coming from Dagestan – a place which produced wrestling elites Khabib Nurmagomedov and Saygid Izagakhmaev among others.

But he welcomed the challenge.

"S'yempre mabigat at 'di siya basta-basta. He’s undefeated for a reason and for a guy like me fighting in this level of competition, 'yun 'yung sinasabi nila na there are levels in this game," he siad.

"I believe that I’ve been fighting the best of the best in the world and I really belong here in the highest level of competition."

This is why aside from being physically prepared, Pacio also has to bring in a winning mindset.

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The former strawweight champion said he wants to show fans he belongs to world's elite.

"I am here fighting with the best athletes in the world, fighting at the highest level with Mansur, Bokang [Masunyane], Jarred Brooks," said Pacio.

"I’m just so happy to compete with all of them and I will prove that I really belong not just in the top five of the strawweight division but to be a champion again."