“We should learn from our mistakes” - Gustavo Balart hopes Jarred Brooks has learned his lesson from DQ loss to Joshua Pacio
Gustavo Balart hopes Jarred Brooks learned a lesson from his devastating disqualification loss against Joshua Pacio.
This Friday night, August 2, the streaking Cuban sensation will look to cash in on his first ONE title opportunity when he meets 'The Monkey God' at ONE Fight Night 24 on Prime Video for the interim ONE strawweight MMA world championship.
It will be Brooks' first fight since his rematch with undisputed strawweight titleholder Joshua Pacio at ONE 166 in Qatar. On that night, Brooks surrendered the strap after he inadvertently spiked 'The Passion' on the top of his head during a takedown less than 60 seconds into the contest.
Offering his take on Brooks' DQ defeat, Gustavo Balart just hopes that 'The Monkey' God learned a thing or two from the incident.
"I think everything is an experience," Balart told the promotion in a recent interview. "We should learn from our mistakes and if he learned something from that. I hope he shows it."
Gustavo Balart gunning for a unification clash with undisputed strawweight king Joshua Pacio
While Jarred Brooks will look to bounce back from his first loss on martial arts' biggest global stage, Gustavo Balart rides into the legendary Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok riding a four-fight win streak, including wins over Ryuto Sawada, Yosuke Saruta, Alex Silva, and fourth-ranked contender Hiroba Minowa.
If 'El Gladiador' can make it five wins in a row, he'll not only become the new interim ONE strawweight MMA world champion, but he'll also set the stage for a unification clash with undisputed king Joshua Pacio.
"Winning the interim championship would make me a champion and that will get me a chance to face whoever is next on the list, including the undisputed champion," Balart added. "My job is to try to be the new champion and to do that I need to defeat anyone on my path."
ONE Championship fans in the United States and Canada can watch ONE Fight Night 24 live and for free via Amazon Prime Video in U.S. primetime on Friday, August 2.