“That could be me one day” - Jarred Brooks admits he’s idolized Demetrious Johnson from the start of his career
Jarred Brooks believed that one day, he could follow in the footsteps of flyweight great Demetrious Johnson.
Today, 'Mighty Mouse' is considered by many to be one of, if not the greatest pound-for-pound fighter in the world. And while 'The Monkey God' has a ways to go before he can reach that status, he's well on his way after claiming another ONE world title earlier this month.
Returning to the legendary Lumpinee Stadium to headline ONE Fight Night 24, Brooks scored a stunning first-round submission victory over Gustavo Balart to claim the interim ONE strawweight MMA world championship.
Immediately following the win, Brooks called out current ONE flyweight MMA titleholder Demetrious Johnson for a potential champion vs. champion clash.
Later, he expressed his respect for 'Mighty Mouse,' revealing that he often looked up to the P4P great, particularly in the early stages of his own combat sports career. Brooks said at the ONE Fight Night 24 post-fight press conference:
"Yeah, Demetrious Johnson was somebody that I was watching on TV at Buffalo Wild Wings, winning a world title in 2012, thinking that, hey, that could be me one day and luckily, I believed in myself enough to end up getting into the UFC. I was that close to where I was going to fight him."
Could we see Demetrious Johnson return to face Jarred Brooks?
It's been well over a year since Demetrious Johnson has graced the Circle with his presence.
His last appearance came in May 2023 as ONE Championship made its U.S. debut with ONE Fight Night 10 in The Mile High City—Denver, Colorado. There, Johnson successfully defended his flyweight title against former champion Adriano Moraes in a critically acclaimed trilogy fight.
Since then, Johnson has been weighing his options in the world of MMA but has kept himself busy by competing in—and often dominating—some of the biggest BJJ tournaments on the planet.
Do you want to see Demetrious Johnson return to combat sports' biggest global stage for a showdown with Jarred Brooks?