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Jarred Brooks truly believes he is better than Joshua Pacio.
After dominating Pacio or a full five rounds at ONE 164 to claim the ONE strawweight MMA world championship, it looked as though 'The Monkey God' would have a long and dominant reign top of the 125-pound division.
Unfortunately, that was not the case.
In March, Brooks returned to the Circle to run it back with Pacio at ONE 166 in Qatar. Less than a minute into the matchup, disaster struck when Brooks shot in for an early takedown and inadvertently spiked the Filipino fan favorite on the top of his head.
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Dubbed an illegal maneuver by referee Herb Dean, Brooks was disqualified and Pacio was once again crowned king of the strawweight division.
“I think that I’m a better fighter than Joshua, and at the end of the day, I’m not afraid to say that,” Brooks told Sherdog.com during a recent interview.
Brooks is chomping at the bit to prove himself in a trilogy fight with Joshua Pacio, but to do so, he'll first have to get through streaking Cuban standout Gustavo Balart.
Jarred Brooks faces Gustavo Balart for interim ONE strawweight world title on August 2
Returning to the legendary Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand on Friday, August 2, 'The Monkey God' will have the chance to once again wrap 26 pounds of gold around his waist when he meets Balart for the interim ONE strawweight MMA world title.
Their anticipated title clash will headline a loaded ONE Fight Night 24 card, airing exclusively on Amazon Prime Video in the United States and Canada.
While Brooks will be looking to climb back into the win column, Gustavo Balart will be trying to stay there after securing four straight wins, his most recent coming against fourth-ranked contender Hiroba Minowa at ONE 165 in Tokyo.
Who leaves the Mecca of Muay Thai with interim gold and a future date with undisputed champ Joshua Pacio?
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, August 2.
