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Gustavo Balart isn't on Jarred Brooks' level —at least, that's how 'The Monkey God' sees it.
Brooks will look to become a ONE world champion again this Friday night, Aug. 2, when he returns to the legendary Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand for a ONE interim strawweight MMA showdown with Cuban sensation and No.3-ranked Gustavo Balart in the ONE Fight Night 24 headliner.
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Brooks, who is considered by many to be one of, if not the best strawweight fighters in the world today, believes that he stands above his ONE Fight Night 24 opponent, and not necessarily in the way you're thinking. Speaking to ONE Championship, Brooks said:
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"I know that he's going to be working boxing. OK, I'll beat you on the inside boxing. Oh, you're gonna be working with Muay Thai? I'll beat you at Muay Thai. Or you're gonna try to wrestle me now? OK, I'm gonna wrestle you and jiu-jitsu you. You're just not there, bro. You're just not. I think that's your biggest weakness."
Gustavo Balart knows he has to go through Jarred Brooks to get to Joshua Pacio
Jarred Brooks already knows a thing or two about becoming a champion, having bested Joshua Pacio at ONE 164 in Manilla to take home the strawweight MMA title before unceremoniously handing it back to 'The Passion' following a DQ loss less than 60 seconds into their rematch at ONE 166: Qatar.
Balart, on the other hand, has never had 26 pounds of gold wrapped around his waist. If he can manage to score an upset against 'The Monkey God' and extend his unbeaten streak to five, 'El Gladiador' will set the stage for a unification clash with undisputed titleholder Pacio.
Speaking to the promotion, Balart said:
"I know that the real fight to watch to find out who the true champion is, will be with me. It is a fight that should have taken place a long time ago."
Who leaves with interim gold and a future date with the Filipino fan favorite?
ONE Championship fans in the United States and Canada can watch ONE Fight Night 24 live and for free via Amazon Prime Video in U.S. primetime on Friday, Aug. 2.
