“I’m not scared of no Filipinos man, come on!” – Jarred Brooks ready to soak in the bad guy energy in Manila

ONE strawweight world title contender and dangerous wrestling machine, Jarred Brooks, is finally getting what he's been hunting for ever since his debut in the promotion.

At ONE 164 on December 3, 'The Monkey God' will face ONE strawweight king Joshua 'The Passion' Pacio in front of the latter's home crowd.

For most fighters, fighting a world champion on his home turf can be a recipe for failure - but not for Brooks. The outspoken American even relishes the idea that he'll be branded as the villain once he enters the gates of Mall of Asia Arena in Manila, Philippines.

In an interview with MMA Sucka on YouTube, the former high school wrestling champion spoke about what it means to be "the bad guy" in a fight:

"When I beat Deiveson Figueiredo [reigning UFC flyweight champ] and got the call, that was in Sao Paulo [Brazil]. Sao Paulo’s pretty rough. You don’t get rougher than Sau Paulo, and I got lost in Sao Paulo for eight hours. The day before weigh-ins in Sao Paulo and I thought I was gonna die. Do these people see me? 'Isn’t that the guy who’s fighting Deiveson Figueiredo? Oh let’s go get his ass.'"

'The Monkey God' added:

"I’m not scared of no Filipinos man, come on! My grandma’s Filipino, why would I be afraid of Filipinos?"

Jarred Brooks did have a razor-close bout with UFC flyweight king Deiveson Figueiredo in Brazil in 2017. Brooks lost via split decision. However, a significant number of fans and analysts thought he had done enough to win. This goes to show that the noise of a hostile crowd never bothers Brooks' focus when the bell rings.

As for the revelation near the end of his statement, we say that's quite the plot twist. Who knew Jarred Brooks had Filipino blood coursing through his veins?

Watch his full interview here:

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Joshua Pacio warns Jarred Brooks not to underestimate him

In an interview with ONE Championship, the soft-spoken and mild-mannered ONE strawweight king Joshua Pacio had some interesting words for Jarred Brooks.

In light of Brooks' constant trash-talking and bold predictions that he will finish Pacio, 'The Passion' gave a fair and honest assessment of their match-up:

“I can say it won’t be easy for him to take the belt either. I’ve worked hard for this for many years. There can only be one winner in the fight, but I know no matter what, it won’t be easy for him. I’m extremely confident I can beat him and retain my world title.”

'The Passion' then revealed what he thinks are the key elements which will dictate the fight:

“I think it’s going to come down to the scrambles, finding the right timing, and picking my shots. I don’t mind trading with him, but I have to be smart about it. We’re going to come in very comfortable, wait patiently for opportunities, and just fight a smart fight with a good game plan. I have many weapons to knock him out.”

If there's one thing you need to know about Pacio and his teammates in Team Lakay, it's that they're all explosive scramblers. The onus will be on Jarred Brooks to implement his pressure and control to keep Pacio where he wants him.