"He's an opponent that I'm going to have to fight soon" - Gustavo Balart targets Jarred Brooks and other top strawweights

Gustavo Balart’s journey to the top of ONE Championship's strawweight division is going to be a tough one, especially given how stacked with talent the 56.7kg weight class is. However, the Cuban martial artist is prepared to endure it to achieve his goal.

His mission begins at ONE: Bad Blood on February 11, where he'll square off against No. 3-ranked contender Yosuke Saruta.

Should he leave the Singapore Indoor Stadium with a win over the former strawweight champion, the wrestler is keen to take on bigger names, including Jarred Brooks.

When asked about his thoughts on the American star, Gustavo Balart told ONE:

“He's a great fighter. I've seen him fight on several occasions since he was in the UFC. He comes very inspired, but I think he's an opponent that I'm going to have to fight soon. He's doing things very well. He's coming off two good fights in the division. He's an opponent that I have to face, sooner or later.”

Given ‘The Monkey God’s position as the No. 2-ranked contender, he would undoubtedly be a future opponent for Gustavo Balart should the Olympic wrestler go on a run of form.

However, he'll more than likely have to go through some other high-profile names like Hiroba Minowa and Alex Silva first before he gets a shot at the American upstart.

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Gustavo Balart will clear his next assignment before future plans

‘El Gladiador’ isn't too concerned about his future rivals just yet, though. He insists that his sole mission at the moment is to leave the Circle with a win against Saruta next Friday night.

Gustavo Balart told ONE:

“I want to make something very clear – I'm now focusing on Saruta. In the future, I have no specific opponents but the belt. I only care about the title, not the name of the person who has it. It could be him [Brooks], Joshua, whoever. I want to be a ONE world champion. The important thing is that I'll face whoever the company wants me to fight. If I need to face somebody else before a title shot, I'll take whoever they want me to fight.”

He enters his upcoming bout following a win over Ryoto Sawada at ONE: Battleground in July last year, while Saruta is coming off the back of a defeat to divisional king Joshua Pacio.