Former ONE Strawweight MMA World Champion Jarred Brooks is desperate to get his hands on the interim crown at ONE Fight Night 24 and book a unification bout with old rival and current king Joshua Pacio.
In order to do that, “The Monkey God” must get past #3-ranked strawweight contender Gustavo Balart in the main event of the Saturday, 3rd August, event inside Bangkok, Thailand’s Lumpinee Stadium.
Ahead of their interim World Title clash, Brooks broke down what he expects to see from the Cuban firecracker and how he plans to take advantage of his relentless pressure.
“[Balart] is like a torpedo that first two rounds. You can hit him, and he’s just gonna keep on coming forward. He doesn’t care. He’s just gonna hit you with those leg kicks and try to swing for the fences until he can reach your chin. So he’s tough in that aspect,” Brooks said.
“But he’s very beatable. You could catch him with a kick to the body or kick to the head. I think the kicks are going to be a big factor in this fight.”
Brooks snatched the ONE Strawweight MMA World Title from Pacio at ONE 164 in December 2022, but he lost it via disqualification after dropping his Filipino foe on his head in their rematch at ONE 166: Qatar this past March.
The American wrestling star was hell-bent on solidifying himself as king that evening, which led him to fight at a higher intensity than he usually does – and ultimately the fateful slam.
At ONE Fight Night 24, Brooks assures fans that he’ll enter the ring with a cooler head and that they’ll see a new and improved version of him when he kicks off his campaign to reclaim the weight bracket’s throne.
“It just makes me even hungrier. God puts these tests in front of me, and I have to knock them down. I’m humbled by the experience,” he said.
“I think that people are going to see a different version of Jarred Brooks this time around. I know that my capabilities speak louder than my words, so hopefully you guys will see my capabilities in full steam against Gustavo Balart.”
