Gustavo Balart gets a shot at gold on Friday, August 2, when he meets Jarred Brooks for the ONE Interim Strawweight MMA World Title at ONE Fight Night 24. The main event match is the culmination of an impressive career turnaround in ONE Championship. The Cuban knows this is his chance to assume the division’s throne and complete his journey.
“This is my dream. I have been working for this all my life,” Balart said to ONE. “What I left behind is so much. I worked really hard to be here and the time is now. There is no tomorrow. I am really happy to have this opportunity to fight. That night I am going to give it my all. All I know is that on August 2, ONE Championship will have a new king in the 125-pound division. His name is Gustavo Balart Marin.”
The interim tag does not devalue the gold for Balart. He knows that if he can secure the win over Brooks, he will still position himself at the top. Whether the unification bout comes next or he has to defend the title instead, Balart will carry himself as a World Champion.
“Winning the interim belt will give me a chance to face whoever is next on the list, including the undisputed champion,” the Cuban stated. “My job is to try to be the new champion, and to do that, I need to defeat anyone in my path. Personally, I don’t care about names. I will go after whoever is the champion. It could be Pacio, could be another fighter, but he is the one with the belt, and that is why I must face him.”
Brooks has utilized his wrestling to dominate the strawweight division, but Balart may be able to counteract his opponent’s biggest strength. The Cuban is an Olympian and has no plans to allow “The Monkey God” to simply take control. On August 2, Balart feels the grappling will be the ultimate decider in the matchup.
“I think that whoever wrestles the best that day will be victorious,” Balart said. “He will have a hard time trying to take me down. He will be tested. I will match his level and intensity. I am going to defend myself. I am not going to let him take me down. No way. I will counterattack. I don’t think he is going to get frustrated, but if he is trying and trying, he is going to make things easier for me.”
Stand and Deliver
The Cuban title hopeful is confident he can upend Brooks in Bangkok. Balart plans to shut down the wrestling and showcase the power in his hands to bring the gold back home. It may be easier said than done, but his string of success inside the ring has given him complete confidence a new era will dawn on the strawweight division.
“He is going to try to do what he does best. He likes taking fighters to the ground. When he tries to do that to me and realizes that he cannot do it, he will also find out my striking is better than his. It will be the end for him,” Balart remarked.
ONE Fight Night 24 airs live on Prime Video on Friday, August 2. The action begins at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. The event is free for all Amazon Prime subscribers based in the U.S. and Canada.
