"He likes taking fighters to the ground" - Gustavo Balart expects Jarred Brooks to rely on wrestling prowess in world title fixture
Gustavo Balart believes Jarred Brooks will lean on his grappling skills in their upcoming meeting at ONE Fight Night 24.
On August 2, Balart and Brooks will battle for the interim ONE strawweight MMA world title while Joshua Pacio recovers from a torn ACL. The stylistic matchup in the ONE Fight Night 24 main event should be interesting, as both are grappling-heavy fighters, which could cancel out and lead to their striking being showcased.
During an interview with ONE, Balart discussed his upcoming matchup and had this to say about 'The Monkey God':
"He is going to try to do what he does best. He likes taking fighters to the ground."
Jarred Brooks last fought on March 1 when he defended his ONE strawweight MMA world title against Joshua Pacio. Brook unintentionally slammed Pacio on his head, leading to him losing his throne by disqualification and suffering his first promotional loss after a 4-0 start.
Meanwhile, Gustavo Balart lost his first three fights under the ONE Championship banner. Since then, the Cuban strawweight has silenced the doubters with four consecutive wins, including a unanimous decision against number four-ranked Hiroba Minowa last time out.
Watch the fight-ending sequence between Brooks and Pacio below:
Will Jarred Brooks silence the doubters and showcase striking improvements at ONE Fight Night 24?
Jarred Brooks has improved his striking since making his ONE Championship debut. With that said, the former ONE strawweight MMA world champion primarily utilizes his grappling skills, which could change at ONE Fight Night 24.
Following his loss against Joshua Pacio, Brooks has continuously claimed he's going to showcase an evolved version of himself against Gustavo Balart. Considering his aggressive grappling style, 'The Monkey God' could be teasing a heavier dose of striking in his upcoming interim world title fight.
Meanwhile, Balart plans to utilize his lighting-quick speed to secure the biggest win of his fighting career. It'll be intriguing to see who emerges victorious and secures an opportunity to unify the ONE strawweight MMA title against Pacio.
ONE Fight Night 24 will take place inside the legendary sports venue of Lumpinee Boxing Stadium. The August 2 event can be seen live and for free by North American and Canadian viewers with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.