“I know how to win” - Jarred Brooks says high fight IQ his best advantage against Gustavo Balart
Former ONE strawweight MMA world champion Jarred Brooks is confident of topping Cuban fighter Gustavo Balart in their scheduled title clash next month, banking, among other things, on his high fight IQ.
'The Monkey God' will mix it up with 'El Gladiador' for the interim strawweight championship belt at ONE Fight Night 24 on Prime Video on Aug. 2 at the famed Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
Both are gunning for the victory and a shot at unifying the division's belts against currently injured reigning world champion Joshua Pacio at some point in the future.
Speaking to Sporkskeeda MMA ahead of his showdown against veteran Balart at ONE Fight Night 24, Jarred Brooks shared how he is approaching the marquee match, saying:
"So I hope I come with good intuition. I'm going to be looking for it. I have a very good and high fight IQ, I don't take too many chances. And besides that, I know how to win. I really do. Winning is in my repertoire, losing is definitely not."
Jarred Brooks lost the ONE strawweight MMA world title in his last fight back in March in Dubai to Pacio, from whom he took the belt in December 2022. He was disqualified last time around for executing an illegal spike in the opening round.
Balart, for his part, is currently riding a four-fight winning streak to solidify his standing as a top three title contender in the division. His latest victory came last January over Japanese Hiroba Minowa by split decision.
ONE Fight Night 24: Brooks vs Balart on Prime Video will be available live and for free to North American fans with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.
Jarred Brooks believes Gustavo Balart is still dangerous even at this stage of his career
American grappling ace Jarred Brooks enjoys a youth advantage over Gustavo Balart in their interim championship fight at ONE Fight Night 24 on Prime Video on Aug. 2 in Thailand, but is not putting too much into it as he believes the Cuban fighter remains dangerous even at the age of 37 years old.
In an interview with Sportskeeda MMA, Jarred Brooks said:
"The only thing I got to say about age is that it hits a few people, but it doesn't hit Cubans for some reason. It just does not hit Cubans -- that's it."
Brooks surely has a lot to think about Balart, who has significantly turned things around in his ONE Championship journey, winning his last four matches after opening his campaign with three consecutive defeats.