After losing the ONE strawweight MMA championship by disqualification in his last outing, Jarred Brooks is intent on showing the world he is still the best fighter in the division when he returns to ONE Championship next month.
At ONE Fight Night 24 on Prime Video on Friday, Aug. 2, “The Monkey God” has a chance to claim the ONE interim strawweight title against Cuba’s Gustavo Balart, and he’s ready to show the world a different side.
“It just makes me even hungrier. God puts these tests in front of me, and I have to knock them down. I’m humbled by the experience,” Brooks told ONE.
“I think that people are going to see a different version of Jarred Brooks this time around. I know that my capabilities speak louder than my words, so hopefully you guys will see my capabilities in full steam against Gustavo Balart.”
The title loss is not the only driving factor for the American athlete. Brooks has his own issues with Balart, who has jabbed at him on social media over the past year.
The former divisional king has taken some of those barbs personally, and he plans to put an emphatic end to their squabbles when they meet inside Bangkok, Thailand’s Lumpinee Stadium.
“Gustavo disrespected me on so many levels. Dude, I called this guy a boss baby. Then he puts his face on my body and says that he’s the real champion. OK, that’s very disrespectful,” the Michigan resident stated.
“Whatever you’re trying to be, ‘Monkey God 2.0.’ No, bro. You’re not even close. You’re 37 years old. You’re an Olympian. You did what you did. But MMA is my game. I played wrestling when I was in college. And now I just go with that with that punch-kick style. You’re gonna get everything.”
Size may become an interesting factor in this matchup. Brooks will have a noticeable height and reach advantage over “El Gladiador,” which is something he is not used to enjoying.
While it may draw out more of his striking, the 5-foot-3 star states that he is still going to grapple and stay true to himself when the bell rings.
“He is a smaller guy. He’s not somebody that I’m used to fighting, so stylistically, you’re going to see a different portion of me,” Brooks remarked.
“Don’t get me wrong, I’m gonna bring out the wrestling and everything like that, but just because Gustavo is 4-foot-11, it doesn’t mean that guy isn’t a G. He’s a boss baby. He looks like a baby, but he’ll beat that a**.”
While Brooks is supremely confident, he isn’t taking Balart lightly.
The former Olympian has incredible wrestling, but he has also shown off his striking power in recent outings and has put together a four-fight winning streak behind his developed skills.
While watching tapes of his opponent, Brooks has seen a chance to drag their match into the championship rounds and drown his opponent in deep waters.
“[Balart] is like a torpedo that first two rounds. You can hit him, and he’s just gonna keep on coming forward. He doesn’t care. He’s just gonna hit you with those leg kicks and try to swing for the fences until he can reach your chin. So he’s tough in that aspect,” he detailed.
“But he’s very beatable. You could catch him with a kick to the body or kick to the head. I think the kicks are going to be a big factor in this fight.”
“And even in the wrestling exchanges, this is a five-round fight. I don’t think he’s going to have the cardio to really hang with me. His legs are super thick. The acid that builds up in his legs is gonna end up making him tired if he doesn’t literally sprint five miles a day.”
“Me, I got jackrabbit legs. I can go forever with these legs. So Gustavo’s in for a really bad time when it comes to August 2.”
With a trilogy bout against Joshua Pacio lingering in the balance, “The Monkey God” is coming to Bangkok to let the world know who really is the best strawweight on the planet.
He plans to make Balart fight outside of his comfort zone and then put him to sleep.
“I have like a Jedi mind trick when I face other fighters. I make them calm down with my body language and how fast I might come at them. Aggression meets aggression,” Brooks said.
“Let’s see who’s the bigger dog right now. I’ll get him in that corner. And then when I have that little dog in the corner, he’s done.
“I’m looking forward to showing everybody in the world that I can knock somebody out cold.”
ONE Fight Night 24 airs live on Prime Video at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on Friday, Aug. 2. The action is free for all U.S. and Canadian Amazon Prime subscribers.