Former strawweight MMA king Jarred Brooks on the unpredictability of the fight game: "A lot of things just don't go into plan"
Former ONE strawweight MMA world titleholder Jarred Brooks understands why mixed martial arts is indeed the most unpredictable sport there is. Things don't always pan out the way fighters hope they will, and some are even humbled by the unforgiving nature of the job.
Brooks certainly knows the feeling all too well.
'The Monkey God', in an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda MMA, shared:
"A lot of things just don't go into plan in fighting. You got a plan and you get hit in the face."
In hindsight, Brooks' realizations are somewhat similar to the classic Mike Tyson quote, "Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth."
In Jarred Brooks' case, what was supposed to be a career-defining night for him all came crumbling down following an illegal spike.
At ONE 166: Qatar last March, the American thought he had the win in the bag after he violently slammed Joshua Pacio to the canvas and rained down hellfire on his fallen foe.
Instead, he lost his 26 pounds of gold via disqualification after inadvertently slamming the Pacio on his neck - which was a clear violation under the Global Mixed Martial Arts rules.
Meanwhile, Brooks, who has only lost thrice in 24 career matches, has dealt with a string of setbacks.
Before joining ONE, the 31-year-old also previously knocked himself out after attempting a slam.
Check out Jarred Brooks' full interview:
Jarred Brooks hopeful he can rematch Joshua Pacio in November
While a trilogy between Jarred Brooks and Joshua Pacio seems imminent, fans might have to wait a while due to the injury bug.
The new strawweight MMA world champion reportedly suffered a torn ACL and is out indefinitely.
Brooks, though, remains optimistic that his Filipino rival could return before the year ends. If so, he would love to settle their unfinished business at ONE 170 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia.
'The Monkey God' added:
"It's nothing but respect at the end of the day, but in my personal opinion, that's my belt. If they want to run it back in the US in November, let's do it."