Jarred Brooks will have a chance to get back on the strawweight throne on Friday, August 2, at least on an interim basis.
The former ONE Championship strawweight king lost his crown at ONE 166: Qatar when he spiked Joshua Pacio on the canvas during a takedown attempt, resulting in a disqualification. As Pacio is still on the mend, Brooks will take on Gustavo Balart for the ONE Interim Strawweight MMA World Title at ONE Fight Night 24.
Balart has earned his title shot after storming back following a 20-month layoff due to the pandemic. After suffering a three-bout losing streak in 2019, the Cuban wrestling standout reeled off four consecutive wins starting in 2021.
Balart added two former champions, Yosuke Saruta and Alex Silva, to his list to prove he is among the division's upper echelon.
His wrestling will be put to the test at ONE Fight Night 24 against Brooks.
The American has dominated the strawweight division since signing on the dotted line with ONE. Brooks has used his wrestling to control and smother opponents, claim the title, and emerge as a true star of the sport.
He has only lost due to the disqualification, a motivating factor heading into this main event opportunity to prove he is still the best in the division.
The extraordinary strawweight title tilt will have everyone's attention, including Pacio's. Interim gold will undoubtedly set up a major unification bout when the Filipino is healthy, and one incredible talent will get to wear the gold walking out of Bangkok.
ONE Fight Night 24 will all go down on Prime Video on August 2 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.