At ONE 166: Qatar, Jarred Brooks lost the ONE Strawweight MMA World Title by disqualification. The heartbreak only brought out a better version. In a bid to become the ONE Interim Strawweight MMA World Champion, Brooks dominated Gustavo Balart at ONE Fight Night 24 to take home the gold.
“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,” Brooks said after the match to ONE.
Brooks was aggressive from the outset and styled over Balart. Although he lost position once, he quickly got to Balart’s back and worked for the choke. The Cuban tried to defend, but “The Monkey God” was on another level on August 2.
Due to the rear-naked choke finish, Brooks was awarded his BJJ black belt by his coaches. That honor meant just as much to him as the gold itself. It was a true mark of how far he has come as a complete martial artist.
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“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,” the American admitted.
With the victory comes the trilogy. Brooks secured the right to unify the gold against Joshua Pacio and determine who is the better man once and for all. The mutual respect is there, but it is a match the American unquestionably wants after the bitter taste of defeat at ONE 166.
“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,” the strawweight titleholder remarked.
However, Pacio’s return is unknown. The Filipino is still recovering from the injury suffered at the hands of Brooks. That leaves the Michigan resident looking at other options.
At the top of his list is Demetrious Johnson. Considered by many to be the all-time greatest, Brooks wants to challenge himself against a man he has chased for many years. While there is no indication Johnson is interested in the match, Brooks is doing his best to paint the picture for what could be an epic meeting.
“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.’ 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,” Brooks said.
