Jarred Brooks’ rise to the pinnacle of the strawweight MMA division was largely built on his eagerness to face anyone in the weight class. In fact, it is a trait that he has carried with him from the very start of his martial arts career.
The Mash Fight Team superstar will bring a similar mindset in his next fight on the global stage as he seeks to go 2-0 against former kingpin Joshua Pacio at ONE Championship’s debut show in Qatar on March 1.
Ahead of his first assignment as a ONE strawweight MMA world champion, Jarred Brooks walked down memory lane to when his willingness to compete initially stemmed.
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‘The Monkey God’ told Nick Atkin:
“I'm somebody that even since I was wrestling, I would wrestle every weekend. I'd be the first person to be like, ‘Dad! Dad! Let's go in the car. Let's go to this tournament so I can wrestle and do what I need to do.’”
Watch the full interview here:
“And that's how I feel about fighting. I mean, I understand, I'm making these way bigger fights which could take time to correlate and stuff like that. But I mean shoot, you put me up against anyone, and I’m always up for it.”
Jarred Brooks’ drive to be the very best has made him a true ONE superstar
As an athlete who refuses to settle for what he’s accomplished, Jarred Brooks has evolved from just another regular name on the roster to a fan favorite since debuting under the ONE banner in 2021.
The 30-year-old, who became a father in November last year, amassed three back-to-back wins over Lito Adiwang, Hiroba Minowa, and Bokang Masunyane to set himself up for a world title showdown with Pacio at ONE 164 in December 2022.
That evening, the American athlete dished out a career-best performance to see off Pacio.
Now, almost 14 months since their last encounter, Jarred Brooks and Pacio will cross paths once more to determine the king of the division in the co-main event of ONE 166: Qatar inside the Lusail Sports Arena on March 1.
Check your local listings or visit ONE Championship's official website on how to watch the entire ONE 166: Qatar card from your location.