Jarred Brooks got strawweight gold back over his shoulder at ONE Fight Night 24 in Bangkok, Thailand.
It was an easy night for “The Monkey God,” who finished Gustavo Balart via rear-naked choke submission for the ONE Interim Strawweight MMA World Championship. Ever confident about his abilities, Brooks reflected on his performance inside Lumpinee Stadium.
“Gustavo is smaller than me. I went against Bokang Masunyane [in April 2022], and I finished him in a similar fashion. So, I knew that the body triangle was going to be there and that we would find that,” Brooks told ONE.
“I think I was better than him across the board in every aspect of mixed martial arts. He did put me on my back for the first time in my whole career. So, props to him for that. I was trying to keep him there and trying to get him tired because I knew he was going to get tired within that second to third round.”
“But yeah, I’m thankful for actually going on my back for once and having to rely on my jiu-jitsu and my other skills.”
The win was not just about the belt for Brooks. It was also about proving his skills inside the ring.
The submission win allowed his coaches to give him his black belt, as he became the first person to submit the Cuban athlete in professional competition.
“I was glad to show people that I could finish Gustavo Balart in spectacular fashion. The only time he’s really been finished was with a head kick out of the blue. It’s the first time that he’s ever been submitted, and I’m glad that I could be that guy,” Brooks stated.
“Getting my BJJ black belt [after the win] is right up there [with my best achievements]. I’ve been doing jiu-jitsu for almost my whole life. I think I started when I was nine, so this is an accumulation of time. It was a super big surprise. I was not expecting it. It meant the world to me.”
Once again, the American is sitting at the top of the strawweight mountain. However, given the interim tag, he is not sitting alone.
The victory secured a trilogy match with Joshua Pacio for the undisputed crown, but no date is set as Pacio is still recovering from injury.
“I’m super excited to go against Joshua Pacio again. He’s a great Christian, a great person, and a great fighter. And if I can go back to his home country – I love Manila, I love the Philippines, all those people are huge fans of mixed martial arts – and be around that fan base, around that energy again, that would mean the world to me,” Brooks admitted.
The unconfirmed timeline is allowing Brooks to chase other dreams, and he is looking for a chance to compete against arguably the greatest to ever step foot in the sport.
Brooks wants a match against “Mighty Mouse.”
“Demetrious Johnson was somebody that I was watching on TV at Buffalo Wild Wings, winning a World Title in 2012, thinking, ‘Hey, that could be me one day,’” Brooks said.
“I think that God gives me signs and getting into ONE Championship and getting the accolades where Demetrious is now, I think it would be a great matchup between me and him.”
“I’m somebody that tries to go up and beat competition. I climb the mountains, and I’m not worried. I know that GOATS are really good at climbing mountains too, but I’m not afraid to try to chase a GOAT.”