Jarred Brooks drops two big names he could face next if Joshua Pacio isn’t ready: “I show people that I'm willing to take all”
Newly crowned ONE interim strawweight MMA world champion 'The Monkey God' Jarred Brooks of the United States is fresh off a spectacular performance against former Cuban Olympic wrestler Gustavo 'El Gladiador' Balart at ONE Fight Night 24: Brooks vs. Balart on Prime Video.
The first-round rear-naked choke victory earned Brooks the interim strawweight MMA throne, and set up an inevitable unification match with reigning champion Joshua 'The Passion' Pacio of the Philippines.
However, Pacio is currently out due to an ACL tear for an indefinite amount of time, as there is no timetable for his return at the moment.
Speaking at the official ONE Fight Night 24 on Prime Video post-fight interview session backstage, Brooks revealed who he thinks could be next for him should Pacio take extra time to recover.
'The Monkey God' said:
"So I show people that I'm willing to take all and I'm not worried about anybody else in the division. So if they want to give me Keito Yamakita for another interim belt, or if they want to give me Sanzhar [Zakirov]. With Sanzhar, he's only really had one fight outside of the top 10. So I think Yamakita would be a good fight for me. But Sanzhar, hey, I'm not worried about you either. You can beat all these guys that are just coming up, but when you hit that top five, we'll see just how good you are."
Jarred Brooks doesn't mind being the underdog: "I think everybody's just going to keep on sleeping on me"
'The Monkey God' Jarred Brooks says he isn't worried about whether he is the underdog or the favorite heading into his fights.
In fact, the 31-year-old Roots Combat Club representative says he is glad to be able to prove people wrong.
The American told ONE:
"Hundred percent. I think everybody's just going to keep on sleeping on me until I put them to sleep. It doesn't matter. I went out against Pacio and I beat Pacio on the feet. I went against a Cuban Olympian, I beat an Olympian on the ground. And I took him down twice in his own game, which is Greco-Roman."
ONE Fight Night 24: Brooks vs. Balart took place live from the historic Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand on Saturday, August 3. Fans in the United States and Canada can catch all the action via replay on-demand on Amazon Prime Video.