“I understand my martial arts a little bit better” - Jarred Brooks says internal reflection helped make him a better fighter

Former ONE strawweight MMA world champion Jarred Brooks said that for his scheduled fight next week, he not only trained to work on his skills but also reflected on who he is both as a fighter and as an individual. It was geared at achieving a sense of balance to help him perform better in competitions.

'The Monkey God' will compete at ONE Fight Night 24 on Prime Video on August 2 in Bangkok, Thailand. vying for the interim strawweight MMA world title against veteran Cuban fighter Gustavo Balart.

In a conversation with the FightWave YouTube Channel, which was uploaded on July 4, Jarred Brooks imparted how preparation for his upcoming fight was a tad different from his training in previous fights.

The 31-year-old American fighter said:

"So in this camp, I definitely got to incubate a little bit, and understand my martial arts a little bit better, and really settle down and understand myself as a person as well. So, you guys are going to see a different Jarred Brooks when it comes down to fighting, and when it comes to outside of the Circle and ring as well."

Check out what he had to say below:

Jarred Brooks is coming off a tough loss in his last fight to Filipino rival Joshua Pacio back in March, where he lost the strawweight MMA gold by disqualification. He earned the DQ after he executed an illegal slam in the opening round that had Pacio hitting his head first on the canvas.

He is now looking to bounce back at ONE Fight Night 24 by claiming the interim belt and earning a unification match against 'The Passion' at some point. ONE Championship is having an interim strawweight championship fight because Pacio is out indefinitely after suffering an ACL injury.

ONE Fight Night 24 will take place at the famed Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok and will be available live and for free on U.S. primetime to North American fans with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.

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Jarred Brooks says loss to Joshua Pacio was an eye opener

Jarred Brooks said that the loss he absorbed at the hands of Joshua Pacio last time around was an eye-opener for him and serves as an added motivation when he returns to action on Aug. 2 at ONE Fight Night 24 on Prime Video in Thailand.

The Indiana, U.S.A. native lost by disqualification to Pacio in their title rematch back in March which saw him lose the ONE strawweight MMA gold.

In an interview with the South China Morning Post, Brooks spoke about the loss to Pacio and how it figured in his preparation for his upcoming fight, saying:

"So it was big kick in the a**, but at the same time, it gave me three times as much motivation, and it changed my landscape and how I think, and how I go about this fight game."

Brooks headlines ONE Fight Night 24 in a showdown with Cuban fighter Gustavo Balart for the interim strawweight MMA world title.