"Everybody wants to watch that fight over" - Jarred Brooks believes Joshua Pacio rivalry needs another fresh start

Former ONE strawweight MMA world champion Jarred Brooks is adamant in saying that another rematch should happen for his rivalry with Filipino fighter Joshua Pacio. In making a case for it, he said it's the fight that makes the most sense at the moment in the strawweight lane.

'The Monkey God' lost the strawweight gold to 'The Passion' after he was disqualified after executing an accidental illegal slam in their title rematch at ONE 166: Qatar on March 1.

The incident took place in the opening round, where Brooks went for a slam that saw Pacio hit the canvas head first. It automatically earned the American a DQ as specified under ONE Championship rules, that also saw him giving up the world title in favor of the Lions Nation MMA standout.

But while he has since accepted the tough defeat, Jarred Brooks insists that an outright rematch should be in store for him next once Pacio is back to a hundred percent and able to compete. He said it will also benefit the reigning champion, as the match will be the one that fight fans will be looking forward to.

The 31-year-old Mash Fight Team affiliate shared to The MMA Superfan in an interview:

"I also think that Josh, Josh deserves to fight me. Yeah, you know. I think that this is a huge fight. I think that everybody wants to watch that fight over any other strawweight [fight] for Josh."

Watch the interview below:

The defeat at ONE 166 was the first for Jarred Brooks in MMA under ONE Championship. He seized the strawweight MMA world title from Pacio by unanimous decision in December 2022 in Manila.

ONE 166: Qatar was held at the Lusail Sports Arena. Its replay is available for free to North American viewers with an active Prime Video subscription.

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Jarred Brooks says he will continue to play mind games with Joshua Pacio

Jarred Brooks is seeking to have another title showdown with Filipino rival Joshua Pacio. But he said he will not change how he approaches things, including playing mind games, notwithstanding the renewed ties with 'The Passion' following the controversial ending that their latest fight had.

The two cleared the air over what happened after, and were in agreement that with the way their latest fight went down, another fight should be set at some point.

Despite setting things straight with Pacio, Jarred Brooks said his in-your-face approach to competition will continue because that is who he is as a fighter and it is part of the game. He said:

"I'm not afraid to portray who I am, yeah and like I said there's no emotions going into that cage, you know, we've spoken. I've gotten into his head, you know. All of that you know is to literally get a mental advantage on my opponent, right? So the game is still the game at the end of the day."