“I earned it” - Jarred Brooks says BJJ black belt achievement well-deserved following submission of Gustavo Balart
Strawweight MMA superstar Jarred Brooks left the Lumpinee Stadium with not one, but two new belts.
Returning to the main event spotlight at ONE Fight Night 24, 'The Monkey God' made quick work of Cuban fan favorite Gustavo Balart, submitting 'El Gladiator' in the opening round to win the interim ONE strawweight MMA world championship.
Immediately following the win, Brooks received both the 26 pounds of ONE Championship gold and his BJJ black belt— something he's been working toward for well over a decade.
"It feels so good, coming from a jiu-jitsu coach Alex Hodi," Jarred Brooks said of receiving his black belt during the post-fight press conference.
"It’s a huge, huge experience. If you guys don’t know what it takes to get a black belt, I’ve been doing jiu-jitsu for the past 15 years. So I’m a 15-year black belt, and I think I earned it. Thank you so much, Alex, you’re the best, man!" he added.
Now a two-time ONE world champion, Jarred Brooks will set his sights on a trilogy fight with undisputed strawweight king Joshua Pacio.
Jarred Brooks ready for redemption against Joshua Pacio
Before facing Gustavo Balart in Bangkok, Jarred Brooks' last couple of years have been spent focusing on one man —Joshua Pacio.
The two strawweight warriors first met at ONE 164 in Manila. On that night, 'The Monkey God' captured the undisputed strawweight crown with a decisive decision victory in enemy territory. 15 months later, he looked to deliver repeat performance in Qatar. Unfortunately, it was not meant to be.
56 seconds into the scrap, Brooks was disqualified after he unintentionally spiked Pacio on the top of his head during a takedown attempt against the fence.
Fortunately, Pacio avoided a serious neck injury but was found to have torn his ACL either before the fight, prompting the promotion to introduce an interim championship.
It's uncertain when Joshua Pacio will be ready to return to action, but it's safe to say that when the time comes, 'The Monkey God' will be more than ready to settle their iconic feud once and for all on martial arts' biggest global stage.
If you missed any of the action, ONE Championship fans in the United States and Canada can watch the ONE Fight Night 24 replay on demand via Amazon Prime Video.