Jarred Brooks admits being "super nervous" in first fight against Joshua Pacio: "I managed all of that well"

As courageous as he may appear, ONE strawweight MMA world champion Jarred Brooks concedes that nerves got the better of him in his first fight against Joshua Pacio.

The talented strawweights crossed paths in the main event of ONE 164 in December 2022, with ‘The Monkey God’ playing the role of the hunter against the then-divisional kingpin.

In the lead-up to that contest, the American seemed to have settled his nerves pretty well, boldly calling his shots and having a constant swipe at ‘The Passion’ before they crossed paths in the Mall of Asia Arena in Manila, Philippines.

But deep down, it was far from the case, per Jarred Brooks himself:

“In that first fight, I was nervous. I’m not gonna lie, bro. I was super nervous to see how Joshua's power, Joshua's jiu-jitsu, all of that culminated,” he shared in an exclusive interview with The MMA Superfan.

Not one to crack under pressure, though, Brooks used every second of his 25-minute war against the five-time strawweight MMA king wisely, cutting angles, switching levels, and outsmarting him on his way to the divisional gold.

Though there was no equation to how he effortlessly managed it, ‘The Monkey God’ believes he did remarkably well to cloud his fears against one of the toughest athletes on the ONE roster:

“Although I was nervous but, in the fight, I believe I managed all of that well,” he declared.

Watch Jarred Brooks' full interview here:

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Jarred Brooks and Joshua Pacio set to star in ONE 166: Qatar

Almost a year and a half since that career-defining day, Jarred Brooks is set to run it back with Pacio in the co-main event of ONE 166: Qatar, which emanates live from the Lusail Sports Arena on March 1.

As an athlete who pays attention to every little detail, the 31-year-old remains sure that he has done enough to accumulate another win over the fan favorite.

Besides, with a blueprint to beat 'The Passion', his job could be easier than what he envisions it to be.

But with Pacio's fire to return to the top of the mountain burning brighter than ever, only time will tell whether the American megastar can leave the Middle East covered in gold confetti with the ONE world title resting on his shoulder.

ONE 166: Qatar will be available to all active Amazon Prime Video subscribers in North America on March 1.