ONE Fight Night 24 will see a ONE Interim Strawweight MMA World Champion crowned. After being disqualified against Joshua Pacio and losing his title, Jarred Brooks returns to try and get a piece of the throne back. Gustavo Balart will be standing in his way on August 2, as first reported by MMAJunkie.com.
Brooks has been virtually untouchable in ONE Championship’s strawweight division. He arrived and dominated the competition en route to knocking Pacio off his perch. At ONE 166: Qatar, Brooks slammed Pacio on his next less than a minute into the match and lost the title due to disqualification.
Losing the gold in that fashion was a blow to the American. As a new father, Brooks has rebounded with new insight and a new drive to provide for his family. He will enter ONE Fight Night 24 laser-focused on the Olympian.
Balart’s wrestling could come into play, but he has begun showing off the power in his hands in recent outings. It has been part of his renewed game since coming back from a nearly two-year layoff after the pandemic. It’s been a tale of two halves.
Prior to COVID-19 shutting the world down, Balart was on a three-bout losing streak. He was suffering setback after setback. However, when he returned in 2021, the Cuban quickly began rising through the ranks.
After defeating Ryuto Sawada, Balart toppled former divisional king Yosuke Saruta. It was a signal he was making big moves. Soon, he would add former ONE Strawweight MMA World Champion Alex Silva to that list before pushing it to four straight against Hiroba Minowa.
Brooks vs. Minowa will headline ONE Fight Night 24 on Friday, August 2, for the ONE Interim Strawweight MMA World Championship. The exciting title tilt will air live and free on Prime Video. The action begins at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT for all Amazon Prime members based in the U.S. and Canada.
