"I'm waiting for somebody to humble me" - Jarred Brooks still waiting for worthy opponent who will push him to the limit
Former ONE strawweight MMA world champion Jarred Brooks has never been shy to speak his mind about being arguably the best 125-pound fighter on the planet. 'The Monkey God' walks the talk each time he steps foot inside the Circle, using his dominant wrestling pedigree and breakneck speed to smash his opponents into oblivion.
Brooks shot out of the canon in his first four matches under the ONE banner, blasting the opposition with ease.
However, he figured in his first setback in the promotion when he ventured into submission grappling to challenge Mikey Musumeci for his flyweight crown last year.
This was followed by an unfortunate disqualification verdict against his rival Joshua Pacio at ONE 166: Qatar last March. The American grappler lost his strawweight MMA gold following an illegal spike on 'The Passion'.
While he takes those losses in stride, Brooks admits he hasn't found a worthy adversary who will make him eat his words.
The Mash Fight Team standout said in an earlier Sportskeeda MMA interview:
"I'm always humble in defeat. It doesn't matter, you know. I'm waiting for somebody to actually like really beat me though, like to really humble me, you know what I mean?"
Watch the full interview, here:
Gustavo Balart could give Jarred Brooks the challenge he seeks
With Pacio sidelined indefinitely due to injury, an interim strawweight MMA world title battle has been set at ONE Fight Night 24 on Aug. 2, at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
Brooks, the no.1 ranked flyweight and former ruler of the division, will vie for 26 pounds of gold against third-ranked contender Gustavo Balart.
Like 'The Monkey God', 'El Gladiator' comes from a strong wrestling background and is riding high on a four-fight winning streak.
ONE Fight Night 24: Brooks vs Balart on Prime Video will air live in US Primetime. This event is free for those with a Prime Video subscription in North America.