“He'll probably give Joshua Pacio his toughest test, if not beat him” – Demetrious Johnson believes Jarred Brooks could become ONE’s new strawweight champion

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Demetrious Johnson believes Jarred Brooks could become the next ONE strawweight world champion if he ever faces off against reigning titleholder Joshua Pacio. [Photos ONE Championship]

Demetrious Johnson believes that Joshua Pacio’s lengthy reign atop ONE Championship’s strawweight division could come to an end if Jarred Brooks manages to get a title shot in the future.

In an interview with ONE Championship, 'Mighty Mouse' said Brooks is fully capable of giving Pacio his toughest fight yet and could even claw the ONE strawweight world title away from the young Filipino champion.

Johnson said:

“He's been doing amazing things and I think he'll probably give Joshua Pacio his toughest test if not beat him. Because he has that constant, constant, constant pressure and grind."

Pacio, who is in his second reign with the belt, cleaned out his division by beating Yosuke Saruta, Alex Silva, Rene Catalan, Pongsiri Mitsatit and Yoshitaka Naito.

At just 26 years old, Pacio is considered the best 125-pound fighter in ONE Championship’s history, having beaten the top contenders and all former champions in the division.

Brooks, however, presents a different challenge to Pacio with his constant pressure on both the ground and on the feet.

The No.2 strawweight contender is two years older than Pacio and is 2-0 in ONE Championship with his first win a submission victory over the Filipino’s Team Lakay stablemate Lito Adiwang at ONE: NextGen III in October 2021.

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Johnson honored to have inspired Brooks

The 35-year-old from Kentucly has long been considered as one of the greatest mixed martial artists of all time. He reigned supreme as UFC flyweight champion from 2012 to 2018, defending the title a record 11 times.

He’s since captured the ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix title and sits as the No.1 contender in the division. He’ll also feature in his first mixed-rules fight when he takes on ONE flyweight Muay Thai world champion Rodtang Jitmuangnon at ONE X on March 26 at Singapore Indoor Stadium.

Johnson’s pedigree is sure to impress any wide-eyed MMA upstart and one of those people who greatly admires the Mighty Mouse is Brooks. 'The Monkey God' spoke of his admiration towards the fighting legend in several interviews and media appearances.

Discussing Brooks' admiration for him, Johnson told ONE:

“That's awesome that I was looked up to when he was a kid, an amazing athlete. If our paths cross, dope, if it doesn't, I ain't worried about it.”

Tune in to ONE X on March 26 to see 'Mighty Mouse' back in action.

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