"Best 25lber in the world" - Fans expect huge bounceback from Jarred Brooks after dropping decision loss to Reece McLaren

Current ONE interim strawweight MMA world champion Jarred Brooks tried to earn a spot in the top five rankings of the flyweight MMA division when he challenged Reece McLaren at ONE Fight Night 26 last week inside the Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand,

Brooks, however, came up short in that quest, as McLaren handed him a split-decision defeat. Despite the setback, the American MMA star was still grateful for the experience, as he recently published a post on his Instagram account, where he wrote:

"Went up a weight class at 135 to try for greatness short notice , my head is held high I thought I did great for short notice against someone that deserved a title shot short notice . I'm not afraid of anyone in fact I would love to run it back after I defend my title here soon!! No losses just lessons ! We always stay winning baby !! @pantoja_oficial ain't got shit on this 25er!"

'The Monkey God' wasn't the only one who was proud of his performance because fans @j0n_reyes, @jordan._jones, @milicemilice, @tomcaine82, and @blazed_dad_chuy, also tipped their hats to him, as they sent their positive messages through their comments:

"Very well said! Best 25lber in the world! Continue to be great ⚔️"

"You looked great out there, would've been a different story if that was in a cage. Excited for the next one!"

"fierce and fearless 🔥🔥 stay awesome king"

"Champion spirit 🔥"

"Takes massive balls to go up a weight class and on short notice too. You're a warrior, brother"

Screenshot of fans' comments

The replay of the ONE Fight Night 26 card can be rewatched by North American viewers with an active Prime Video subscription.

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Jarred Brooks to fight Joshua Pacio for strawweight MMA supremacy at ONE 171 on Feb. 20

The rubber match between Brooks and his Filipino rival Joshua Pacio was recently booked by ONE Championship, as they will be co-headlining the ONE 171 card on Feb. 18 inside the Lusail Sports Arena in Qatar.

Brooks and 'The Passion' have a 1-1 head-to-head score, and this third meeting will finally settle the debate on who's the better fighter among them. The former scored a unanimous decision in their first fight in December 2022 at ONE 164, then the latter got the disqualification win in their second meeting at ONE 166: Qatar card in March 2024.