"Until we fight again" - Jarred Brooks will "let" Joshua Pacio walk around with the belt
Former ONE strawweight MMA world champion 'The Monkey God' Jarred Brooks can't wait to get his belt back, but until reigning king 'The Passion' Joshua Pacio is ready to go, the American star will have to wait.
Brooks and Pacio have enjoyed an intense rivalry over the past couple of years, dating back to the end of December in 2022, when 'The Monkey God' took a unanimous decision verdict in a dominant performance to unseat 'The Passion'.
Since then, the two had gone back and forth in friendly banter, leading up to their eventual rematch earlier this year at ONE 166: Qatar. There, Brooks was disqualified for spiking Pacio on his head.
The Filipino stalwart became the champion once again. However, Brooks says he feels like he is still the champion and that Pacio's time at the top will be short-lived.
Speaking to Sportskeeda MMA in a recent interview, Brooks had some choice words to say about Pacio's third reign as strawweight king in ONE Championship.
'The Monkey God' said:
"At the end of the day, he can walk around with that belt and think he deserves that belt. If he feels like he is the true champion, then let him walk around a little bit until we fight again."
Brooks fully expects to meet Pacio once more as soon as the Filipino is fit and able to defend his gold.
'The Monkey God' Jarred Brooks teases return bout: "You're gonna see me very soon"
While 'The Monkey God' Jarred Brooks awaits his rival Joshua Pacio to come back from hiatus, the 31-year-old Mash Fight Team representative appears to have been booked for his return.
He told Sportskeeda MMA:
"You're gonna see me very soon, man. I can say it's going to be in the next three months, so get prepared, man. It's gonna be a good fight against a great opponent. Yeah, he's beat a lot of people in the division and I think that he deserves a shot against me -- the real champ."
Stay tuned to Sportskeeda MMA for all the latest news and updates on Jarred Brooks' next fight.