“He's probably gonna sit on it” - Jarred Brooks says Joshua Pacio is trying to flush him out
ONE interim strawweight champion Jarred Brooks is keen on having a trilogy title fight with reigning divisional king Joshua Pacio but expects that latter to take a wait-and-see stance first with regard to it. But he highlighted that ONE Championship would miss a lot if it does not make it happen.
'The Monkey God' lost the strawweight gold to Pacio in their title rematch back in March in Qatar after he was disqualified for executing an illegal slam in the opening round that saw 'The Passion' hit the canvas head first. The DQ deprived him of the chance to retain the belt, which he seized from the Filipino fighter in December 2022 in Manila.
In an interview with BODYSLAM.NET Pro Wrestling, which was uploaded on YouTube on Sept. 13, Jarred Brooks spoke about the potential trilogy title fight with Pacio, saying:
"He's probably gonna sit on it a couple of times and see if I lose and ... Well, I think it would be dumb if ONE Championship didn't try to do Pacio-Brooks III in the Philippines. You know, it was sold-out [the last time] in Manila."
Watch the interview below:
Jarred Brooks put himself in a position for a unification title fight after seizing the interim strawweight belt at ONE Fight Night 24 last month in Thailand, defeating Cuban Gustavo Balart by submission in the opening round.
Meanwhile, Pacio is expected to be out for some time after undergoing surgery for the ACL injury he suffered even before he took on Brooks in their rematch.
Jarred Brooks willing to wait for Joshua Pacio to fully heal up for trilogy
Jarred Brooks is aware that Joshua Pacio's recovery from an ACL tear may take some time but he is willing to wait and have himself ready to see their trilogy fight through.
ONE strawweight MMA world champion Pacio went under the knife for the ACL tear he sustained while preparing for his title rematch with Brooks back in March in Qatar. He still pushed through with the fight and was able to get back the strawweight gold after the American fighter was disqualified for executing an illegal slam in the opening round.
Pacio is expected to be out of competition until at least the first half of next year, but Jarred Brooks said he will be there waiting to take another shot at 'The Passion.'
He shared at the post-fight press conference after claiming the interim strawweight belt last month at ONE Fight Night 24:
"I don't know how big the ACL tear was, but I'm super excited to go against Joshua Pacio again. He's a great Christian, a great person, and a great fighter."
Check out what he had to say below:
While he awaits for Pacio to fully heal up, expect Brooks to stake his interim belt against the strawweight division's title contenders.