"I think he has a good fighting style" - Gustavo Balart sees similarities in Jarred Brooks' 'very aggressive' approach
Gustavo Balart believes his fighting style resembles his upcoming opponent, Jarred Brooks.
In March, Brooks attempted to defend his ONE strawweight MMA world title against Joshua Pacio. Unfortunately for 'The Monkey God,' the rematch with Pacio ended in controversy after he illegally spiked 'The Passion' on his head, leading to him being disqualified and losing his strap.
Pacio later suffered a torn ACL while training, postponing his trilogy bout with Brooks. As a result, 'The Monkey God' must take a detour during his comeback tour and fight for the interim ONE strawweight MMA world title against Balart, which goes down on August 2 in the ONE Fight Night 24 main event.
During an interview with SerEbro EnlosDeportes, Balart was asked about his upcoming matchup against Brooks and had this to say:
"Well, Brooks is a very aggressive fighter. I think he has a good fighting style, it looks very similar to mine."
ONE Fight Night 24 will take place inside the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. The upcoming event headlined by Jarred Brooks vs Gustavo Balart can be seen live and for free by North American and Canadian viewers with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.
Watch Balart's entire interview with SerEbro EnlosDeportes below:
Gustavo Balart plans to ruin plans for Joshua Pacio vs Jarred Brooks trilogy
There's no doubt that Jarred Brooks wanted to avenge his disappointing result against Joshua Pacio in a trilogy bout. Furthermore, Pacio also wanted the matchup so he could settle his "unfinished business" with 'The Monkey God.
With that said, Gustavo Balart has other plans, as a win at ONE Fight Night 24 would lead to him fighting Pacio in early 2025. 'El Gladiator' is riding momentum heading into the August 2 event following four consecutive wins, all by decision.
Meanwhile, Brooks' only loss under the ONE Championship banner was the previously mentioned disqualification. Before ONE 166: Qatar, the American superstar held a promotional record of 4-0, including two wins by submission. Only time will tell if 'The Monkey God' can regain the ONE strawweight MMA world title.