“I always have that underdog mentality” - Jarred Brooks confident he can regain lost strawweight MMA crown

Former ONE strawweight MMA world champion 'The Monkey God' Jarred Brooks of the United States has no doubt in his mind that he will eventually regain his lost crown.

The 31-year-old Warsaw, Indiana resident lost the belt after spiking rival 'The Passion' Joshua Pacio of the Philippines on his head in their highly anticipated rematch at ONE 166: Qatar earlier this year.

Throws that land on the head, neck, or spine are prohibited under ONE Championship's global martial arts rule set, and Brooks was rightfully disqualified for his illegal maneuver.

However, Brooks maintains that this recent setback is only a minor blip on the road for him, as he remains determined to claw his way back to ONE Championship gold.

Speaking to Sportskeeda MMA in an exclusive interview, 'The Monkey God' said:

"God puts me in a lot of positions where I always have to work back. I always have that underdog mentality so it actually works in my favor. I get to fight other people [while Pacio is out]."

There is no dimming Brooks' self esteem, as the 31-year-old looks to climb the strawweight MMA ladder yet again to prove that he is the rightful king of the division.

Jarred Brooks to Joshua Pacio: "Give me my belt back"

With 'The Passion' Joshua Pacio indefinitely out due to an ACL injury, 'The Monkey God' Jarred Brooks says he needs the gold back over his shoulders.

He had a message for Pacio. Brooks told Sportskeeda MMA:

"I don't care, bro. Give me my belt back. I want it now. I'm sorry you have ACL surgery, bro. I wish you nothing but the best and hope that you come back even stronger, but man I really miss the smell of that gold and I really need that back for my family. So if that gets better by November, and we can run that back, easy. And whoever I'm fighting next good luck, bro."