ONE 164: Four key takeaways from final event of 2022 in ONE Championship

Manila, December 6: ONE 164: Pacio vs. Brooks went down this past weekend, and it wrapped up ONE Championship's 2022 event calendar with a bang.

The blockbuster card was the second of a huge doubleheader put on by the Singapore-based promotion at the Mall of Asia Arena in Manila, Philippines, last Saturday (December 3).

With thrils and spills from start to finish, even the most particular combat sports fan was satisfied with the spectacle, but what moments were most pivotal for the ONE roster as it prepares to move into the new year?

Here, we have broken down the four key takeaways from the night's action:

Jarred Brooks Can Do It All

In the main event, Jarred Brooks backed up his trash talk by scoring a unanimous decision win over longtime ONE Strawweight World Champion Joshua Pacio.

The American upstart is a former state champion on the US college wrestling circuit, and his grappling-heavy gameplan has helped him find big success in his career so far. Against Pacio, however, Brooks chose to beat him at his own game.

The new divisional king used his constant movement to frustrate the Filipino, leaping in with punches and showcasing an array of wheel kicks.

"The Monkey God" used this World Title tussle to silence anyone who has ever suggested he had holes in his skill set. He is now a complete fighter, and any prospective challengers will have to take that into account when attempting to step to him.

ONE 164 Results: Brooks defeats Pacio for ONE Strawweight World Title, Superlek edges Panpayak

Amir Aliakbari Is A Heavyweight World Title Contender

Iranian heavyweight Amir Aliakbari had a difficult start to his one tenure, suffering defeat in his first two fights in the Circle.

The Greco Roman wrestling World Champion proved he has turned things around in a big way this past weekend, though, by scoring a crushing TKO win over four-time ONE Heavyweight World Champion Brandon Vera.

The win over the heavyweight icon will, undoubtedly, thrust the 34-year-old deep into the World Title conversation, and Aliakbari is poised to make his name known from there.

Jeremy Pacatiw Is The Real Deal

Jeremy Pacatiw rebounded from his recent loss to top-ranked bantamweight contender Fabricio Andrade by forcing Burmese star Tial Thang to tap in the second round of their intense war at ONE 164.

Thang represented another tough test on a big card for Pacatiw. But the Filipino banger used the opportunity to show that he can hang with the big boys whenever ONE Championship comes calling, and he scored a US$50,000 performance bonus for his efforts.

Tagir Khalilov Has Arrived With A Bang

Tagir Khalilov is in ONE to stay. The 29-year-old Muay Thai star kicked off his time in the promotion with two competitive losses to top-level opposition in Rodtang Jitmuangnon and Denis Puric, but he now has a big win under his belt.

Khalilov hit Chorfah Tor.Sangtiennoi with a vicious uppercut in the opening round of their flyweight Muay Thai brawl, and the debuting Thai star failed to recover from there.

The knockout win was a just reward for the Russian after his impressive but empty-handed start to life on the big stage, and he walked away with an extra US$50,000 in his pocket thanks to the impressive showing.

Source: Media Release