“Nobody gave a s**t about me” – ‘Self-made’ Jarred Brooks talks about the hardships he endured to reach the top

ONE strawweight MMA world champion Jarred Brooks has had to rely on himself to make it where he is today.

Making his promotional debut in 2021, ‘The Monkey God’ immediately made his presence felt earning three straight wins over Lito Adiwang, Hiroba Minowa, and Bokang Masunyane to earn his first shot at ONE Championship gold. Stepping into the main event spotlight at ONE 164, Brooks delivered a dominant five-round performance against then-champion Joshua Pacio to claim the ONE strawweight MMA strap.

Looking back on his career, which includes an impressive overall record of 20-2, Jarred Brooks revealed that he had to largely rely on himself to become a world champion in mixed martial arts.

“Nobody gave a s**t about me, like I've had had like maybe five people on my on the tip of my hand that I can say actually gives a s**t about my career,” Brooks said during an interview with FightWave. “So I have to put things into my own hands at the end of the day and that's what I did.”

---

Joshua Pacio ready to even the score with Jarred Brooks in Qatar

On March 1, ‘The Monkey God’ is scheduled to put his strawweight MMA world title on the line for the very first time when he runs it back with the man he took the crown from in the first place, Joshua Pacio. The two will run back their 2022 classic as part of a loaded ONE 166 card emanating from the Lusail Sports Arena in Qatar.

Joshua Pacio earned his opportunity at a rematch with a solid showing against Russian standout Mansur Malachiev at ONE Fight Night 15 in October. Backed by a new gym, ‘The Passion’ is ready to reclaim his title and end Jarred Brooks’ win streak inside the Circle.

Will Joshua Pacio become a two-time titleholder, or will Brooks once again run roughshod over the Filipino fan favorite?

ONE 166: Qatar airs live on Friday, March 1, via global pay-per-view at watch.onefc.com.