Jarred Brooks to Adriano Moraes - "You know what I did to you"
Jarred Brooks has sent a message to Adriano Moraes. The American strawweight scored his second straight victory inside the ONE Circle on Friday. He was awarded a dominant, unanimous decision win against Hiroba Minowa.
That victory will almost certainly grant Brooks a shot at Joshua Pacio's strawweight title. However, 'The Monkey God' has made no secret of his interest in jumping up in weight in an attempt to claim two belts.
Moraes is currently the main man at flyweight and is enjoying his third reign as champion. The Brazilian famously defended the belt with a memorable knockout win against Demetrious Johnson in April 2021.
The American Top Team fighter is someone with whom Jarred Brooks has some experience. The pair trained together at Coconut Creek many years ago. Those sessions were enough to show Brooks that he would get the upper hand in a potential fight with Moraes.
In a post-fight interview at ONE: Only the Brave, the 28-year-old said:
"Adriano Moraes is really, really tough. We've trained in the past at American Top Team when I was like 20 years old. Me and him have actually had a go back and forth... And Adriano Moraes, you know what I did to you and I completely controlled you on the ground and that's your specialty. So, I think I could give Moraes a run for his money, that's for sure."
Jarred Brooks to Joshua Pacio - I'll bend you over my knee
Jarred Brooks has enjoyed a meteoric rise since arriving in ONE and he's not afraid to call his shot. He's made it clear that he wants to fight Moraes in the future. Furthermore, he has also described a clash with Demetrious Johnson as "a dream".
However, the one man he's been gunning for from the outset is Pacio. In the wake of his dominant display against Minowa, Brooks took full advantage of his time on the mic. He called out the strawweight champion and also teased a jump in weight class:
“Daddy’s home, Joshua Pacio. You better be ready. I’ll bend you right over my knee, just like I did with Minowa. Nobody’s gonna beat me in this division – not Bokang, not you. I’m coming for this whole division, flyweight too, baby."
As it stands, Jarred Brooks looks set to get his wish. His callout drew a response from Pacio in which the Filipino declared that strawweight was his division. With all the elements in place for ONE to promote a blockbuster bout between the pair, it seems a case of when rather than if the two will meet inside the Circle.
Furthermore, if Jarred Brooks continues to provide fireworks with his performances, he has every chance of taking on Johnson and Moraes at some stage as well.