Jarred Brooks has taken the ONE Championship strawweight division by storm, but in order to get the title shot he covets, he will need to defeat #1-ranked contender Bokang Masunyane on April 22.
The title eliminator is set between the two top contenders. Masunyane has been perfect thus far in his mixed martial arts career, but Brooks has stolen much of his thunder in his time away from the Circle.
But Brooks has continually called Masunyane the toughest matchup in the division, making this even more of an incredible matchup on paper.
“Bokang is better than Joshua Pacio. And if Bokang wants to fight Pacio, then I think Bokang would beat him. But I think that Pacio has his hands full in the strawweight division now, period,” Brooks told ONE.
“I mean, dude, it’s going to be a tough road for him.”
Brooks is complimentary of the South African’s skills, but he calls into question the level of competition he has faced to date.
The matchup will be the biggest test of the 27-year-old’s career. For both men, the shot at Pacio hinges on showing out on the global stage and making their bid undeniable.
“He’s super athletic, he has a lot of great qualities that he has shown, but unfortunately, he hasn’t really gone against anybody. And they put him in front of me, I think that I have faced way better opponents,” said Brooks.
“Don’t get me wrong, Bokang knocked out Rene Catalan and in fashion, but Rene is like 43 years old, and he’s on his way out.”
“I think that he’s a tough guy, don’t get me wrong. I do see him breaking on the feet and wanting to shoot and go for takedowns. And it’s going to be a tough road for him, man. He’s going to have a really, really tough time taking me down. And if he does, I’m going to spring right back up to my feet. And he’s not going to hold on to my back like he does to all these other people.”
Brooks will enter the Singapore Indoor Stadium as confident as ever, as he envisions another huge win to cement his status as the next title challenger.
“I think that I’m the best in the division, no matter what. I mean, you got to go out and prove things. But inside of my head and the way I see fight night, I do see my hand getting raised in a spectacular fashion,” said “The Monkey God.”
ONE: Eersel vs. Sadikovic will air live on Friday, April 22, beginning at 4:30 a.m. ET/1:30 a.m. PT on watch.onefc.com.
Photo via ONE Championship.
