"I'm gonna be a rocket" - Jarred Brooks says he's on a warpath to regain lost strawweight MMA crown
Jarred Brooks is ready to capitalize on any opportunities presented this year.
On March 1, Brooks attempted to defend his strawweight MMA world title in a rematch against Joshua Pacio at ONE 166: Qatar. Unfortunately, the fight featured a disappointing ending, as 'The Monkey God' was disqualified in under a minute after illegally spiking Pacio on his head.
Brooks and Pacio quickly made amends but that doesn't change how the American was dethroned from his strawweight MMA throne. During an interview with Sportskeeda MMA, 'The Monkey God' had this to say about his plans to bounce back and ensure 2024 is a productive calendar year for him:
"My mentality has not changed since that loss, bro. My mind is [like] steel. I'm gonna be a rocket, I'm shooting myself to space in 2024. It just goes with opportunities."
Before the Pacio rematch, Brooks held an undefeated ONE MMA record of 4-0. Following three wins against top contenders, the American superstar dethroned 'The Passion' of his world title with a unanimous decision win at ONE 164 in December 2022.
Watch Jarred Brooks' entire recent interview with Sportskeeda below:
Jarred Brooks could fight for interim strawweight MMA throne while Joshua Pacio recovers
The ONE Championship community was worried about the damage Joshua Pacio could have suffered after getting spiked on his head. Yet, the unfortunate sequence with Jarred Brooks isn't why the reigning ONE strawweight MMA world champion is sidelined indefinitely.
It turns out Pacio suffered a torn ACL in his right knee, which likely happened during the training camp for ONE 166. The devastating news was later confirmed by MRIs, potentially postponing a trilogy fight with Brooks to next year.
In the meantime, ONE Championship could implement an interim strawweight MMA world title to satisfy the blood-hungry Brooks. Potential opponents for 'The Monkey God' include but are not limited to Gustavo Balart and a rematch with Bokang Masunyane.
Watch the fight ending sequence of Brooks vs Pacio 2 below: