“You are the reason why I started this ” - Jarred Brooks shifts focus to Demetrious Johnson after claiming gold at ONE Fight Night 24
Jarred Brooks is focused on fighting Demetrious Johnson following his impressive performance at ONE Fight Night 24.
On Aug. 3, Brooks had an opportunity to bounce back after losing his ONE strawweight MMA world title by disqualification. 'The Monkey God' was placed in the ONE Fight Night 24 main event and matched up against Gustavo Balart for the interim strap due to Joshua Pacio tearing his ACL in training.
Brooks quickly ended Balart's four-fight winning streak with a first-round submission (rear-naked choke). Shortly after getting his hand raised, the American superstar called out Pacio for an undisputed trilogy bout and ONE flyweight MMA world champion Johnson for a super-fight.
'The Monkey God' had this to say about Johnson during his post-fight interview in the ring with Mitch Chilson:
"I’m coming for you brother, no matter what. I love you, you are the reason why I started this sport. I want you, bro. I want you."
ONE Fight Night 24 featured several action-packed fights and entertaining finishes. The replay of the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium event headlined by Jarred Brooks vs. Gustavo Balart can be seen by North American and Canadian viewers with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.
Watch Brooks submit Balart with a rear-naked choke below:
Is Demetrious Johnson vs. Jarred Brooks a realistic matchup for the end of 2024?
Earlier this year, Jarred Brooks accidentally slammed Joshua Pacio on his head, leading to him being disqualified and losing his ONE strawweight MMA throne. The ONE Fight Night 24 main event was seen as an opportunity for Brooks to ensure he's the one to fight Pacio once the latter returns from injury.
With that said, Pacio might not fight again until early 2025. Therefore, 'The Monkey God' could stay active and return to action before potentially regaining the undisputed strawweight MMA strap in a trilogy bout against 'The Passion.
Demetrious Johnson vs. Jarred Brooks would be an entertaining matchup depending on whether the flyweight MMA king is interested. 'Mighty Mouse' last fought in May 2023 when he defeated Adriano Moraes. Since then, the living legend has teased his retirement from MMA but hasn't made an official decision.