“One of the most interesting aspects of this match” - Lito Adiwang intrigued by Jarred Brooks vs. Gustavo Balart ground matchup
Filipino strawweight fighter Lito Adiwang is intrigued by the scheduled title clash between American Jarred Brooks and Cuban fighter Gustavo Balart next week. In particular, he's keen to see how the two will fare on the ground.
Former strawweight king Brooks will clash with Balart at ONE Fight Night 24 on Prime Video on Aug. 2 in Thailand for the interim ONE strawweight MMA world title. It will be the headlining contest of the event happening at Bangkok's famed Lumpinee Stadium.
Speaking to Sportskeeda MMA in an interview, Adiwang shared his thoughts on the marquee title showdown between his division's top contenders, including how the ground matchup could be key in the contest.
'Thunder Kid' said:
"But if [Brooks] can get into range, this is one of the most interesting aspects of this match because this is the first time that Brooks will fight someone smaller than him and someone who's wide. This is when things will come into play, with how he can handle the scrambles. How can he catch Balart? But I think once he catches Balart, he'll be putting on some of the tightest grips we've seen from Brooks."
At ONE Fight Night 24, Jarred Brooks is looking to redeem himself after losing the ONE strawweight MMA world title in his last match in March to Filipino rival Joshua Pacio. He lost by disqualification after executing an illegal spike in the opening round that saw Pacio hit his head first on the canvas.
Meanwhile, Balart seeks to extend his winning streak in ONE, which currently stands at four straight.
ONE Championship is having an interim strawweight championship fight as Pacio is out indefinitely with an ACL injury.
ONE Fight Night 24: Brooks vs. Balart will be available live and for free in U.S. primetime to North American fans with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.
Jarred Brooks vows to showcase improved version of himself in Balart fight
Jarred Brooks said he is coming into his scheduled title clash against Gustavo Balart at ONE Fight Night 24 on Prime Video on Aug. 2 in Thailand more complete stylistically and determined to get a win.
'The Monkey God' shared this in an interview with Sportskeeda MMA, highlighting how as part of his preparations he made improvements to his game, saying:
"I think, like I mentioned before in other interviews, this is gonna be a new Jarred Brooks, much better, stylistically more complete, and just more well-rounded in every aspect really."
Brooks, the former ONE strawweight world champion, is out to get a win at ONE Fight Night 24 to claim the interim belt and set a unification match at some point against current divisional king Joshua Pacio, to whom he lost the belt back in March.