Jarred Brooks says he’s not a "dirty fighter" after accidental head spike on Joshua Pacio: “I’m not gonna take a man’s career”

Former ONE strawweight MMA world champion Jarred Brooks made it clear that he had no malicious intent towards his rival Joshua Pacio.

‘The Monkey God’ infamously lost both his undefeated record in ONE and his world title in the process after spiking the Filipino’s head on the canvas during their rematch at ONE 166: Qatar last March 1.

Under the Global Mixed Martial Arts Ruleset, throws on the head, neck, or spine areas are illegal and warrants disqualification.

After receiving scrutiny from Pacio’s fans online, Brooks wholeheartedly apologized and claimed it was an unfortunate accident.

The American star also exhibited humility and compassion for Pacio, when they shared a meal the following morning after their heated battle.

In an appearance on The MMA Superfan’s YouTube channel, Brooks explained why he would never purposely put Pacio in a position to lose his livelihood and perhaps even his life:

“It wasn’t anything that I wanted to do to Joshua. We are going out there to potentially kill one another but I’m not gonna sit there and take a man’s career and a man’s life, anything like that.”

‘The Monkey God’ added:

“I don’t want people in the world to think I’m a dirty fighter either. I’ve had 42 fights and that’s happened one time.”

Watch Jarred Brooks’ full interview:

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Joshua Pacio accepts Jarred Brooks’ sincere apology

Pacio understands the unpredictability of the fight game and believes Brooks did not intentionally slam him head-first.

The new strawweight MMA king also appreciated his rival’s genuine concern for his well-being.

In his own interview with The MMA Superfan, Pacio revealed what went down in his emotional exchange with Brooks after the incident.

“My respect for Jarred Brooks really grew. We didn’t talk about trilogies [during the breakfast we had the next day]. He approached me and hugged me while crying and told me, ‘I’m just glad you are ok’. We didn’t talk about setting the next fight up.”