“That's not going to happen to me” - Jarred Brooks vows not to follow path of Matt Serra, GSP
Former ONE strawweight MMA world champion and current first-ranked contender 'The Monkey God' Jarred Brooks of the United States wants to go down as one of the biggest names in mixed martial arts history.
But he knows that in order to reach this lofty status, he must learn from the mistakes of his predecessors, particularly the legendary Georges St-Pierre, whom Brooks holds in very high regard.
In a recent interview with the South China Morning Post, Brooks discussed avoiding the mistakes GSP made against fellow icon Matt Serra, which included overlooking an obviously dangerous opponent.
'The Monkey God' said:
"So you see Matt Serra beat GSP, that's not going to happen to me. I'm going to make sure that all of this culmination of my career is going to show that I keep on getting better every fight, and it doesn't matter who I go against."
Serra shocked the world when he defeated GSP as the underdog in their April 2007 fight, winning via first-round technical knockout.
That being said, Brooks says he will not take upcoming opponent Gustavo Balart lightly, despite many believing the Cuban has no chance at beating 'The Monkey God'.
Brooks added:
"And it does suck that I have to go against Gustavo Balart because, in a viewer's eye, they might see me as picking on the little guy type thing. And that's no disrespect."
Jarred Brooks to face Gustavo Balart for ONE interim strawweight MMA world title at ONE Fight Night 24 on Prime Video
No.1-ranked strawweight MMA contender and former king, 'The Monkey God' Jarred Brooks, are set to lock horns with no.3-ranked 'El Gladiador' Gustavo Balart for the ONE interim strawweight MMA world title in the main event at ONE Fight Night 24: Brooks vs. Balart on Prime Video.
The event broadcasts live from the historic Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand on Friday, August 2nd.
Fans in the United States and Canada can catch all the action live and absolutely free on Amazon Prime Video. Stay tuned to Sportskeeda MMA for all the latest news and updates on the event as it happens.