“He’s just a Conor McGregor wannabe” - Joshua Pacio brushes off Jarred Brooks’ trash talk

On December 3, reigning ONE strawweight world champion Joshua Pacio will defend his world title against the No.1-ranked contender, Jarred ‘The Monkey God’ Brooks. Debuting for the promotion in November 2021, Brooks earned three straight victories in just under five months with wins over Lito Adiwang, Hiroba Minowa, and Bokang Masunyane.

Those victories have shot him to the top of the strawweight rankings. Respectful of his challenger’s skillset, Joshua Pacio is significantly less impressed with Brooks’ antics inside ONE Championship, namely his way of calling out fighters like Irish UFC superstar Conor McGregor.

Speaking to ONE, Pacio shared his dislike of Brooks’ trash-talk, calling him a “wannabe.”

“No offense to Jarred Brooks, but the way I see his trash talk is that he’s just a Conor McGregor wannabe. I respect his skills and all that he has achieved in his career, but when he started calling out fighters in ONE, all I could think about was this is the Conor McGregor effect.”

‘The Passion’ continued to discuss his thoughts on the subject, saying:

“My honest opinion is that, I think his trash talk is good for selling fights. As long as it doesn’t go too far. I think it builds a lot of drama and makes people want to watch. Great marketing strategy, but that’s all it is. Nothing more, nothing less.”

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Joshua Pacio discusses fighting smart against Jarred Brooks at ONE 164

With eight submission victories, Jarred Brooks is one of the most dangerous strawweight fighters competing in the division. Aware of the dangers of facing a formidable opponent like Jarred Brooks, Joshua Pacio understands the importance of developing and sticking to a smart game plan. He’ll attempt to do exactly that when he meets 'The Monkey God' at ONE 164, when ONE Championship returns to the Philippines for the first time in more than two years.

Discussing the December showdown against Brooks, Joshua Pacio shared some of the details surrounding his game plan for the winter war and what he believes the fight will come down to.

“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.”