“There’s a difference between our training” – Jarred Brooks believes he has better teammates than Joshua Pacio's

Jarred Brooks believes he is levels above current ONE strawweight world champion Joshua Pacio, thanks to a better supporting cast than the Filipino fighter.

‘The Monkey God’ is set to face Pacio in the main event of ONE 164 to battle for the division’s top prize. The explosive card will be held inside the Mall of Asia Arena in Manila, Philippines, on December 3.

Brooks earned the right to challenge for Pacio’s strap after a stellar run that saw him pick apart ranked contenders one after the other. His list of conquests include former top-ranked contender and erstwhile undefeated fighter, Bokang Masunyane, then-fourth-ranked contender Hiroba Minowa, and Pacio’s teammate, Lito Adiwang.

Ahead of their December clash, Brooks spoke with MMA Sucka praising the caliber of fighters he trains with at Mash Fight Team:

“There’s a difference between our training as well. He’s probably training for wrestling all that but I’ve got better kickboxers in the world than him working with me. I’ve got better jiu-jitsu practitioners than him working with me.”

It’s a bold claim, considering Joshua Pacio is a member of the famed Team Lakay stable in the Philippines, which has produced four other ONE world champions in the past.

It may just be Jarred Brooks trying to rile up the whole team against him. But it’s quite possible that he is training with some elite-level talent to prepare for the biggest fight of his career.

Watch the full interview here:

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Jarred Brooks believes he’s a bad matchup for Joshua Pacio

Even before they step into the circle, Jarred Brooks knows that Joshua Pacio is not a threat to him.

While the American star recognizes the skillset that Pacio possesses, he doesn’t think that the Filipino’s style matches up well with his own. Speaking to MMA Sucka in the same interview, Brooks said:

“I don’t think Joshua Pacio is ever gonna catch up to what I’ve brought and I have fought better than Joshua Pacio, no knock to him. I have not fought the Wushu caliber with the calculated mind that Joshua Pacio has, but there’s just no way man [that Pacio would win].”

He added:

“I’ve already got the checkmate before you even moved your first pawn. I know that Josh isn’t gonna come close to my style.”

Jarred Brooks has certainly proven that he can back up his words during his undefeated run in ONE Championship. Now we’ll have to wait and see if he can continue his streak when he faces Joshua Pacio.