Joshua Pacio officially announces exit from Team Lakay

Former ONE strawweight world champion Joshua Pacio has officially announced his exit from Baguio City’s Team Lakay earlier today.

GMA Integrated News first reported Pacio's exit last Saturday, shortly after his teammates Kevin Belingon and Honorio Banario announced their own departures. Eduard Folayang, on Friday, was the first to announce he was parting ways with the team after spending 16 years with the fabled camp.

Pacio, 20-4 as a professional mixed martial artist, last represented Team Lakay inside the cage in December against Jarred Brooks where he yielded his then gold-plated strap to the American. Three months later, he says it is time to move on.

“I wouldn’t be a World Champion in ONE Championship without the guidance of Coach Mark Sangiao enjoying the blessings given through the learnings I have honed with my fellow Team Lakay members,” Pacio wrote in a statement on Facebook.

“However, there is a saying that champions never rest on their laurels and must continue sharpening their skills,” he continued.

“In my quest to better myself and reclaim the belt that was once mine, I have decided that moving out of the fabled stable that gave Filipino fight fans much to cheer for inside the Circle is the path that I have to take.”

According to Pacio, his move came from his desire to improve.

“I believe that stepping out of my comfort zone is the way to level up my overall skills in the world of combat sports,” Pacio stressed.

“There is much to do for me to recapture the throne and it begins with this step. I have nothing but never-ending gratitude to Coach Mark Sangiao and the rest of Team Lakay. They have raised me as much as I have made them proud in all my fights.”

—JMB, GMA Integrated News