Jarred Brooks suffered his first defeat in ONE Championship in his last outing. However, it would be erroneous to suggest that he was clearly beaten.
Due to a takedown where Joshua Pacio’s head was spiked onto the canvas, Brooks was disqualified and lost the ONE Strawweight MMA World Title in the Circle at ONE 167.
While Pacio is on the mend, Brooks is set to return against Gustavo Balart at ONE Fight Night 24 for the ONE Interim Strawweight MMA World Title. “The Monkey God” is ready to return and show everybody he is still the cream of the strawweight crop.
“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,” Brooks stated to ONE.
“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.”
Brooks is not lacking motivation for this bout. Not only is he spurred by the result of his last match, but the Michigan resident is also intent on dominating Balart after trading social media barbs.
“Gustavo disrespected me on so many levels. Dude, I called this guy a boss baby. Then he puts his face on my body and says that he’s the real champion. OK, that’s very disrespectful,” the American star said.
“Whatever you’re trying to be, ‘Monkey God 2.0.’ No, bro. You’re not even close. You’re 37 years old. You’re an Olympian. You did what you did. But MMA is my game. I played wrestling when I was in college. And now I just go with that with that punch-kick style. You’re gonna get everything.”
Brooks is not used to holding a significant physical advantage in his bouts as a strawweight.
However, Balart’s 4’11” stature will give him the height and reach edges when the bell rings.
But that doesn’t mean he won’t still use all of the tools that brought him to the dance.
“He is a smaller guy. He’s not somebody that I’m used to fighting, so stylistically, you’re going to see a different portion of me,” the former ONE Strawweight MMA World Champion remarked.
“Don’t get me wrong, I’m gonna bring out the wrestling and everything like that, but just because Gustavo is 4-foot-11, it doesn’t mean that guy isn’t a G. He’s a boss baby. He looks like a baby, but he’ll beat that a**.”
Balart is coming in riding a winning streak, and with Olympic-caliber wrestling, nobody should sleep on his skills. Brooks certainly isn’t.
The Cuban athlete has also been showing off his improved hands with immense power. “The Monkey God” is aware of the explosive nature of his opponent and sees that as a sign that he can tire him out after a blistering start that could drain his foe’s energy.
“[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.”
“And even in the wrestling exchanges, this is a five-round fight. I don’t think he’s going to have the cardio to really hang with me. His legs are super thick. The acid that builds up in his legs is gonna end up making him tired if he doesn’t literally sprint five miles a day.”
“Me, I got jackrabbit legs. I can go forever with these legs. So Gustavo’s in for a really bad time when it comes to August 2.”
Brooks is chomping at the bit to get the gold back over his shoulder, and Balart is standing in his way.
On August 2, “The Monkey God” is coming to reclaim a part of the throne and send a clear message to Pacio that their trilogy will be locked in for the ONE Strawweight MMA World Championship.
“I have like a Jedi mind trick when I face other fighters. I make them calm down with my body language and how fast I might come at them. Aggression meets aggression,” Brooks stated.
“Let’s see who’s the bigger dog right now. I’ll get him in that corner. And then when I have that little dog in the corner, he’s done.”
“I’m looking forward to showing everybody in the world that I can knock somebody out cold.”
ONE Fight Night 24 airs live at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on Friday, August 2, from Bangkok. The event is free for all Amazon Prime subscribers based in the U.S. and Canada.