WATCH: Gustavo Balart goes from laid back to wrestling machine in highlight reel against Chan Rothana
Despite his easygoing nature, ONE strawweight MMA star Gustavo Balart is not one to mess with. He certainly proved it in his second bout in the world's largest martial arts promotion.
The three-time Pan-American Greco-Roman Wrestling Champion and former Olympian faced Cambodian veteran Chan Rothana at ONE: Dreams of Gold on August 16, 2019, after a hard-fought promotional debut defeat to Tatsumitsu Wada.
Rothana was happy to go toe-to-toe with 'El Gladiador' as he had the major height advantage, but Galart made him pay multiple times with a handful of booming takedowns which ONE Championship shared on Instagram.
Balart is currently on a four-fight winning streak with his last two outings being stellar split decision victories against former ONE strawweight MMA world champion Alex Silva and No. 4-ranked strawweight MMA contender Hiroba Minowa this past January at ONE 165.
Gustavo Balart set for interim strawweight MMA world title showdown in August
The 37-year-old American Top Team product will look to deliver on the momentum he generated for himself by claiming the ONE interim strawweight MMA world championship at ONE Fight Night 24 on August 2 inside the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
Gustavo Balart, currently ranked as the No. 3 fighter in the strawweight MMA division, will face another stellar wrestler for the interim strap in the form of former ONE strawweight MMA world titlist Jarred Brooks.
'The Monkey God' and Balart have not yet crossed paths inside the circle, but they do have a rivalry brewing thanks to the former's comments about Balart being a stepping stone to the undisputed world title picture.
ONE Fight Night 24 will air live and free to all Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.