Joshua Pacio and Jarred Brooks face off ahead of their ONE Strawweight MMA World Championship bout at ONE 166, March 1, 2024 at the Lusail Sports Arena in Qatar. Handout/ONE Championship/File MANILA -- Filipino mixed martial arts (MMA) star Joshua Pacio will get his much-awaited opportunity to unify the ONE Strawweight MMA World Championship in February 2025.

Eleven months after scoring a strange -- and controversial -- triumph against American Jarred Brooks, Pacio will return to the Lusail Sports Arena in Qatar to face off against his longtime rival for the third time.

The trilogy bout between Pacio and Brooks is the co-main event of ONE 171: Qatar, set for February 20, 2025.

The last time that the pair met inside the Lusail Sports Arena was in ONE 166, where their title match came to a sudden end after Brooks was disqualified for spiking Pacio headfirst into the canvas. Pacio emerged as the ONE strawweight champion following the bout, but he also aggravated a knee injury that has kept him out of competition for most of 2024.

READ: Joshua Pacio reclaims ONE title as Jarred Brooks disqualified

READ: How Joshua Pacio and Jarred Brooks reconciled following horrid ONE 166 finish

Brooks, on the other hand, stayed active and won the ONE Interim Strawweight MMA World Title after stopping Gustavo Balart's hot streak. He submitted the Cuban wrestler in their encounter before trying his luck at flyweight division.

His first foray at the heavier weight class proved tough for Brooks, who suffered a split decision defeat to Reece McLaren at ONE Fight Night 26 last Saturday.

Nonetheless, he remains a dangerous fighter at his natural weight class, and Brooks is expected to go all out in another bid to take care of business against Pacio.

READ: Brooks submits Balart to win interim strawweight world title

The ONE 171 card is headlined by the ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing World Title match between Jonathan "The General" Haggerty and Chinese striking star Wei Rui.  

"ONE 171: Qatar is already shaping up to be one of the biggest spectacles of the year. Jonathan Haggerty is a certified superstar, but he is set to face one of his toughest tests yet in Chinese icon Wei Rui," ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong said.  

"Also, I can't wait to see the third fight between Joshua Pacio and Jarred Brooks to determine who will reign supreme as the undisputed ONE Strawweight MMA World Champion." 

Filipino fans who want to witness Pacio's bout live in Qatar can purchase early bird tickets and sign up for exclusive access at visit.onefc.com/one171. 

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