“Knock that out of the water and done” - Jarred Brooks eager to cut the line and face Adriano Moraes if he beats Reece McLaren
Jarred Brooks plans to defeat Reece McLaren and then challenge Adriano Moraes for the vacant ONE flyweight MMA world title.
On Dec. 6, Brooks will temporarily leave the ONE strawweight MMA division, where he's the interim champion, to pursue a massive opportunity. The American superstar is scheduled to fight top flyweight contender McLaren at ONE Fight Night 26, with a title shot potentially awarded to the winner.
MMA legend Demetrious Johnson vacated his ONE flyweight MMA throne when he retired. Since then, Moraes made a statement by submitting Danny King, making him the frontrunner for the vacant title fight.
During an interview with The MMA Superfan, Brooks had this to say about his plans to challenge Moraes for the flyweight throne:
"Yeah, 100% I beat Reece McLaren, the first person that I'm going to try to fight is Adriano Moraes. Knock that out of the water and done"
Brooks last fought in August, defeating Gustavo Balart for the interim ONE strawweight MMA world title. Brooks is expected to face the division's king Joshua Pacio in 2025, but the latter is recovering from a torn ACL. Therefore, 'The Monkey God' has time to pursue a strap in the flyweight division.
Check out Jared Brooks' entire interview with The MMA Superfan below:
Jarred Brooks and Reece McLaren aren't only fighters looking to face Adriano Moraes
The winner of Reece McLaren vs. Jarred Brooks isn't guaranteed to fight Adriano Moraes for the vacant ONE flyweight MMA world title.
At ONE Fight Night 26, number two-ranked flyweight Yuya Wakamatsu will face promotional debutant Gilbert Nakatani. Wakamatsu is also in the race for a title shot, as he's coming off wins against Xie Wei and Danny Kingad.
Wakamatsu has a history with McLaren and Moraes. In April 2021, the Japanese flyweight defeated McLaren by unanimous decision. Meanwhile, Moraes defeated him with a third-round submission in March 2022.
Although it's not confirmed by ONE, the recipient of the flyweight title shot could come down to who has the most impressive upcoming performance.
ONE Fight Night 26 goes down inside the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. The Dec. 6 event can be seen live and for free by North American and Canadian viewers with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.