Bolstered by the confidence given to him by his world champion peers, Jeremy "The Juggernaut" Pacatiw is proving to everyone that he truly deserves his spot here at ONE Championship.
But he knows that the journey necessitates him to constantly reaffirm his position in the promotion, thus the need to test himself against better and tougher foes.
Pacatiw will do just that at ONE: FULL CIRCLE when he takes on Fabricio "Wonder Boy" Andrade on 25 February at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
The 25-year-old upstart is raring for his biggest test yet here at ONE as he battles the #4-ranked contender in the bantamweight division.
"He is a complete athlete so I need to prepare myself in every aspect of the game," he stated. "There is no easy war. It’s all tough but in different ways. In the case of my opponent this time, his arsenal is not just loaded but he's very well loaded."
Pacatiw knows how tough of a cookie Andrade is, with the Brazilian yet to taste a loss since joining ONE Championship in 2020.
Andrade is on a five-fight win streak, with his last victory coming at ONE: WINTER WARRIORS II back in December where he overwhelmed "The Underdog" Li Kai Wen with his lethal strikes to eventually pull off the first round technical knockout win.
Yet as big of a threat Andrade is in Pacatiw's ascent, the Filipino fighter also presents a solid case to be considered as one of the weight class' next big things.
Hyper-active in his promotional debut at ONE: BATTLEGROUND back in July, Pacatiw looked like he had a fresh set of springs in his step as he imposed his presence on his opponent Chen "The Ghost" Rui, unleashing a barrage of strikes while also securing two massive takedowns to display his well-rounded game for the unanimous decision conquest.
"My win from my debut fight gave me that extra self-assurance and I’m feeling more confident than ever," he said, while admitting that he feels he still has a lot to show for his fans in ONE Championship.
"I have more to offer that will surely thrill our audience and it is expected every time we step inside the Circle that we really need to show another version of ourselves, and that another version is the improved version. We want to show the world that we are constantly evolving."
Also adding to Pacatiw's morale was the valuable advice that his fellow Team Lakay members gave him, with former ONE Bantamweight World Champion Kevin "The Silencer" Belingon and Stephen "The Sniper" Loman all doing their part in pushing him in preparation for this match.
"Manong Kevin and Stephen emphasized the importance of giving your all in every fight, and that focusing on the game plan should not be minimized. I'm looking forward to doing just that when I face Andrade," he said.
Curiously, it's one of the goals that Pacatiw has when he gets his hands raised at the end of this bout, to join Loman, who currently occupies the #3 spot, and Belingon, who's at #5, in the top five of the official bantamweight rankings.
"A win could put me in the ONE Athlete Rankings and also a chance to get closer to a possible fight for the title. That's my dream here," he said.
Odds may not be in his favor in the leadup to this match, Pacatiw is banking on his immense preparation as he shoots for the upset and slowly makes a name for himself like his fellow Igorot warriors here in ONE Championship.
"In mixed martial arts, you cannot predict what will happen," he said. "All I know is I’m coming geared for this fight. I trained so hard for this match that I don’t doubt what I can do inside the ONE Circle."