Jarred Brooks ready for winner of Mansur Malachiev vs. Joshua Pacio: “I’m kicking both of their a***s”

Since becoming the ONE strawweight world champion, Jarred Brooks has been left without any clear contenders for his title.

Having beaten multiple top strawweights on his way to the belt, ‘The Monkey God’ has already proved himself against many of the rankings’ finest competitors.

At ONE Fight Night 15 on October 6, a new top contender in the division will be anointed and, obviously, the champ has got a close eye on this matchup.

Mansur Malachiev made a huge impact on his ONE Championship debut, submitting Jeremy Miado in the first round back in June at ONE Fight Night 11. Slotting himself right in at the top of the division, his next fight will be a strong acid test for just how good the undefeated Russian contender really is.

Joshua Pacio had produced three consecutive title defenses as the strawweight champion before facing Brooks at ONE 164 last year. Looking to bounce back and prove that he still belongs at the top of the division, the former champ will have to take out the new contender on the block who is looking to take his place as the next title challenger.

In an interview with the South China Morning Post, Jarred Brooks gave credit to both fighters but reminded them that, at the end of the day, there’s only one world champion in the division:

“I'm kicking both of their as**s, it doesn't matter. They know who daddy is at the end of the day. Much respect to both of them. They both worked their way up and did what they had to do, pay their dues. But hey, man, I'm the final boss. And I don't respect people until they beat me.”

Watch the full interview below:

ONE Fight Night 15 will air live and free in U.S. primetime for North American viewers with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.