ONE Fight Night 24 was another golden evening for Jarred Brooks. The American athlete took home the ONE interim strawweight MMA title with a first-round rear-naked choke finish over Gustavo Balart in the evening’s main event.
While the match was nearly entirely in Brooks’ favor, “The Monkey God” did experience something new and was able to adapt quickly. For that, he is thankful.
“Gustavo is smaller than me. I went against Bokang Masunyane [in April 2022], and I finished him in a similar fashion. So, I knew that the body triangle was going to be there and that we would find that,” Brooks remarked to ONE.
“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.”
The finish awarded Brooks two belts. He took home the 26 pounds of gold adorned by ONE Championship, as well as a black belt in BJJ from his coaches.
After years of tireless work on the mat, the two belts meant the same to the strawweight king.
“I was glad to show people that I could finish Gustavo Balart in spectacular fashion. The only time he’s really been finished was with a head kick out of the blue. It’s the first time that he’s ever been submitted, and I’m glad that I could be that guy,” the American said.
“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.”
It was another emotional night for Brooks, but this one was much better than ONE 166: Qatar when he was disqualified.
As the interim titleholder, Brooks has clinched his trilogy with Joshua Pacio after their last unfortunate meeting. Brooks still praises his Filipino rival, but it is clear he wants the undisputed crown back after their last encounter.
“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,” Brooks said.
While Pacio recovers from injury, Brooks wants to remain active. And he is already trying to lay the groundwork for a dream match.
“The Monkey God” is fine with whatever comes next. Still, he would be eager to meet Demetrious Johnson after years of chasing him to prove that he can match “Mighty Mouse” on the global stage.
“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,’” Brooks said.
“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.”