WATCH: The heated battle between Jarred Brooks and Joshua Pacio’s teammate Lito Adiwang

Jarred Brooks, the current No.1 contender for the ONE strawweight world title, made one heck of a first impression on ONE fans during his promotional debut in November 2021.

‘The Monkey God’ disrupted the entire ONE strawweight division when he crushed Lito Adiwang at ONE: Next Gen III inside the Singapore Indoor Stadium last year.

Before Brooks challenges Joshua Pacio for the ONE strawweight throne at ONE 164 on December 3 at the Mall of Asia Arena in Manila, Philippines, let’s take a trip down memory lane and relive his stunning first match inside the circle.

Brooks carried a menacing swagger in his bout against ‘Thunder Kid’ and used his high-level wrestling and jiu-jitsu to full advantage.

Adiwang, after all, is one of the most electric strikers on the ONE roster. The American, however, clipped his wings by controlling him on the ground.

The Michigan native got a hold of the Team Lakay stalwart early and was able to impose his grueling wrestling style. Jarred Brooks took away Adiwang’s airspace and softened him up with repeated ground and pound.

‘The Monkey God’ even effortlessly lifted up the Filipino and brought him back down with one of his patented slams. The persistent Adiwang was able to get back to his feet near the end of the first round and initiated a striking exchange.

Back in his wheelhouse, ‘Thunder Kid’ landed some crisp shots – including a nice body kick and a clean uppercut. However, it was clear that Jarred Brooks dominated on the round.

It was more of the same in the second canto, as Brooks aggressively hunted for another takedown and put the Filipino on his back again. This time, ‘The Monkey God’ showed his BJJ prowess by jumping on Adiwang’s neck for a tight guillotine choke.

Adiwang defended nicely, but Brooks stayed on him and landed damaging blows in the clinch that bloodied up his Filipino foe. It was the beginning of the end for Adiwang when Brooks took him for another ride with a highlight-reel-worthy slam.

The Mash Fight Team star transitioned to full mount and was squeezing Adiwang’s neck in no time with a beautiful arm-triangle choke.

Watch Brooks forcing the tap:

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Lito Adiwang helped Joshua Pacio with his gameplan versus Jarred Brooks, says Mark Sangiao

Despite the loss, Adiwang was still able to learn a thing or two about how Brooks operates.

This information will come in handy for his teammate Pacio, who will look to retain his strawweight throne against the American challenger. Jarred Brooks has gone unbeaten inside the circle since his encounter with Adiwang, notching wins over Hiroba Minowa and Bokang Masunyane.

Team Lakay head coach Mark Sangiao, on the other hand, has already crafted a game plan to counter Brooks’ uber-aggressive grappling style.

In an interview with ONE Championship, Sangiao said Adiwang was a big help during their preparations:

“We already know how physically strong Brooks is, especially with his wrestling. We’re working hard to defend, counter, and execute the perfect game plan to stop his takedowns. Plus, Lito Adiwang also gave us pointers when he last fought Jarred.”