"USA vs Cuban wrestling" - Jarred Brooks says he won't back down from Gustavo Balart's Olympic-level grappling
Former ONE strawweight MMA world champion Jarred Brooks has pretty much rag-dolled every opponent he faced inside the Circle so far.
In the curtain closer of ONE Fight Night 24, 'The Monkey God' believes he'll finally go up against a worthy adversary who can match up with his elite wrestling pedigree.
This coming Friday, August 2, Brooks will take on the third-ranked strawweight MMA contender Gustavo Balart in a five-round barnburner. The victor will leave Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand the interim strawweight MMA world title in tow.
Like Brooks, Balart has also been physically overwhelming in ONE, using his world-class Greco-Roman wrestling to violently throw his foes around.
While the former 125-pound kingpin is looking forward to testing Balart's fearsome grappling, he also can't wait to see if he can handle his business on the feet as well.
The American told ONE Championship:
"It's USA versus Cuban wrestling. I think it's cool, man. You get to see he also has his own form of striking. It's just two different aspects, but actually the same thing."
In hindsight, Jarred Brooks' striking is more refined, as he uses a speedy jab to set up his fast punch combinations.
Balart, on the other hand, loves to load up with haymakers and overhand rights that certainly pack a ton of power.
Jarred Brooks says the time for talk is over
Jarred Brooks is indeed quite the entertainer, on and off the Circle. 'The Monkey God' is known as being one of the best trash-talkers not just in the division, but perhaps in the entire promotion.
However, the 31-year-old admits his recent struggles have allowed him to grow as a person. As such, Brooks no longer sees the need to run his mouth and would just rather let his fists do the talking.
The Mash Fight Team standout told ONE:
"I'm already better than a lot of these guys and that's the way I truly feel as a martial artist. So why do I have to tell these guys, and why do I have to tell fans that?"
ONE Fight Night 24 will air live in US Primetime, free of charge for those with a Prime Video subscription in the United States and Canada.