Jarred Brooks admits he overestimated Gustavo Balart in world title duel: “He wasn’t as good as I thought he was”

Jarred Brooks thinks he overestimated Gustavo Balart.

Returning to the Circle at ONE Fight Night 24 following a disappointing disqualification loss to Joshua Pacio five months prior, 'The Monkey God' secured a dominant first-round submission victory over Balart to capture the interim ONE strawweight MMA world championship.

Looking back on his bout against the streaking Cuban standout, Jarred Brooks believes he may have given 'El Gladiador' a little too much credit ahead of fight night.

"I'd have liked to have shown what I can do on my feet, no doubt, of course," Jarred Brooks told BODYSLAM.NET. "But the first thing that pops into my head when I go up against a wrestler is 'How good is this guy?' Especially as an Olympic wrestler. But he wasn't as good as I thought he was. He was super strong, though."

With his victory over Balart, Brooks has guaranteed himself a trilogy fight with the division's undisputed king, Joshua Pacio.

If you missed any of the action, ONE Championship fans in the United States and Canada can watch the ONE Fight Night 24 replay on demand via Amazon Prime Video.

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Jarred Brooks and Joshua Pacio have 'unfinished business'

Thus far, Pacio and Brooks and squared off twice on martial arts' biggest global stage, going 1-1 in the process— though their individual wins came in drastically different ways.

First meeting at ONE 164 in Manilla, 'The Monkey God' dominated the entirety of their five-round affair to claim the undisputed strawweight MMA world title. 15 months later, they would run it back at ONE 166 in Qatar. This time, things would take a disastrous turn for Brooks less than a minute in when he attempted to complete a takedown up against the fence.

Brooks inadvertently slammed Pacio onto the top of his head, resulting in his immediate DQ.

"I can see where this is heading, so I'll be straightforward. I have unfinished business with Jarred Brooks, and I intend to settle it in the future," Pacio told Spin.ph.

Are you excited to see Pacio vs. Brooks III once 'The Passion' is cleared to return?