Jarred Brooks wants to prove he is ‘the best grappler’ at flyweight by beating Mikey Musumeci

Reigning ONE strawweight world champion Jarred Brooks’ wish for a shot at two-sport supremacy has been granted, but it certainly won’t be a walk in the park.

‘The Monkey God’ won’t be donning the four-ounce gloves this time around, as he agreed to challenge Mikey Musumeci for the ONE flyweight submission grappling crown at ONE Fight Night 13: Allazov vs. Grigorian on Prime Video next month.

While Brooks will be fighting on unfamiliar turf, he remains confident of his chances in an all-grappling affair against arguably one of the most technical Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioners in the world today.

In an earlier interview with the South China Morning Post, Brooks expressed his admiration and respect for Musumeci’s virtuosic skills and incredible achievements inside the circle.

However, the Mash Fight Team standout said it won’t stop him from imposing his aggressive top-heavy wrestling game and taking away ‘Darth Rigatoni’s 26 pounds of solid gold:

“But all respect to Mikey Musumeci, but I wanna step in the circle and prove my grounds that I can be the best grappler in the world of flyweight,” he told Nic Atkin.

Since becoming the inaugural king of the division last year, Musumeci has turned back two formidable challengers, outclassing Gantumur Bayanduuren and submitting Osamah Almarwai in 2023.

This time around, he’ll be tussling with a fellow ONE world champion, who possesses arguably the best wrestling pedigree he’s ever faced before.

Brooks is no slouch on the ground, with eight of his 20 MMA career wins coming by submission. ‘The Monkey God’ loves to break and smother his foes with unrelenting pressure, evidenced when he choked out Lito Adiwang and Bokang Masunyane.

Then again, Musumeci is a whole different beast altogether and we’ll see if Brooks can do the unthinkable and dethrone the BJJ maestro at ONE Fight Night 13.

The entire card will emanate from Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok on August 4. Prime Video members in North America can witness this spectacle free of charge.

Watch Brooks' interview with SCMP MMA in its entirety: