“As real as it gets” - Jarred Brooks on not holding back as a fighter in and out of the cage
Jarred Brooks may pass himself off as too brash and direct to some, both inside and out of competition, but he said he is just being himself. That's something he learned to adopt when he started picking up mixed martial arts at a young age.
The former ONE strawweight MMA world champion touched upon this facet of himself as a fighter in an interview with ONE Championship in line with his scheduled return to action on Aug. 2 at ONE Fight Night 24 on Prime Video in Bangkok, Thailand.
Brooks intimated:
"When I first started watching mixed martial arts I really got into it. The slogan was, 'As real as it gets.' And I took that seriously at a young age and I wanted to be as real as it gets. And if I do have a problem with somebody and I do feel like it's going to be it, it needs to be addressed. I'm going to address it, period.
"And if I feel a certain type of way, I'm gonna express it. I have no problem expressing myself to the world. If I could just go out here naked, I would."
At ONE Fight Night 24, Jarred Brooks seeks to claim the interim ONE strawweight world title after losing his position as the undisputed king of the division to Filipino rival Joshua Pacio back in March in Qatar. He lost by disqualification after he executed an illegal spike that had Pacio hitting the canvas head first.
Out to thwart his push is Cuban opponent Gustavo Balart, a fighter going for his world championship dreams at the age of 37. He is coming into ONE Fight Night 24 with a lot of momentum, winning his last four matches.
ONE Championship is holding an interim strawweight championship match with Pacio out indefinitely to recover from the ACL injury he sustained even before he took on Brooks.
ONE Fight Night 24 will take pace at the Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok and will be available live and for free in U.S. primetime to North American fans with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.
Jarred Brooks says he has seen flaws in Gustavo Balart's game that he wants to take advantage of
Jarred Brooks expects to be tested by Gustavo Balart in their clash for the interim strawweight belt at ONE Fight Night 24 on Prime Video on Aug. 2. However, he said he is ready for it, taking advantage, among other things, of the loopholes he has found in his opponent's game.
'The Monkey God' mentioned this in an interview with Sportskeeda MMA, although he did not go into specifics.
Brooks said:
"I don't like to say much about what he doesn't bring to the table, but I already know where I can take advantage of. Like, don't get me wrong, Gustavo Balart is good, but there's faults here and there."
Apart from claiming the interim strawweight belt, Jarred Brooks seeks to bounce back at ONE Fight Night 24 after being dethroned as the strawweight king by disqualification in his last fight.