Jarred “The Monkey God” Brooks has a renewed hunger to prove himself at ONE Fight Night 24 on Prime Video.
After losing the ONE Strawweight MMA World Title to Joshua “The Passion” Pacio under frustrating circumstances in his last appearance, the American star will battle Gustavo “El Gladiador” Balart for the division’s interim gold live in U.S. primetime on Friday, August 2.
Pacio’s ongoing recovery from knee surgery means Brooks won’t have an immediate chance at redemption following his disqualification loss in March.
However, he knows that a victory at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, would secure a World Title unification clash and an opportunity to once again become the undisputed king.
“The Monkey God” spoke to onefc.com about his mindset after losing the belt:
“It just makes me even hungrier. God puts these tests in front of me, and I have to knock them down. I’m humbled by the experience.
“I think that people are going to see a different version of Jarred Brooks this time around. I know that my capabilities speak louder than my words, so hopefully you guys will see my capabilities in full steam against Gustavo Balart.”
Brooks has spoken highly of #4-ranked Balart ahead of their Interim World Title showdown, but he doesn’t feel like he’s getting the same respect in return.
In fact, the former Olympic wrestler from Cuba has taunted Brooks on social media, but that’s just adding more fuel to the fire.
The Indiana native explained:
“Gustavo disrespected me on so many levels. Dude, I called this guy a boss baby. Then he puts his face on my body and says that he’s the real champion. OK, that’s very disrespectful.
“Whatever you’re trying to be, ‘Monkey God 2.0.’ No, bro. You’re not even close. You’re 37 years old. You’re an Olympian. You did what you did. But MMA is my game. I played wrestling when I was in college. And now I just go with that with that punch-kick style. You’re gonna get everything.”
Brooks Confident He Can Break Balart In Bangkok
Gustavo Balart poses a unique threat in the strawweight MMA ranks, but Jarred Brooks feels he’s more than capable of dealing with it.
For example, the 5-foot-3 Brooks is often shorter than his opponents, but he’ll have a significant height and reach advantage over “El Gladiador.”
The former World Champion said of the matchup:
“He is a smaller guy. He’s not somebody that I’m used to fighting, so stylistically, you’re going to see a different portion of me.
“Don’t get me wrong, I’m gonna bring out the wrestling and everything like that, but just because Gustavo is 4-foot-11, it doesn’t mean that guy isn’t a G. He’s a boss baby. He looks like a baby, but he’ll beat that a**.”
Balart’s style is also unlike that of Brooks’ recent foes. The Cuban wades forward to close the distance and has elite wrestling credentials, meaning “The Monkey God” must be on point in all areas.
Still, Brooks is confident that his style will carry an advantage in their battle for the ONE Interim Strawweight MMA World Title:
“[Balart] is like a torpedo that first two rounds. You can hit him, and he’s just gonna keep on coming forward. He doesn’t care. He’s just gonna hit you with those leg kicks and try to swing for the fences until he can reach your chin. So he’s tough in that aspect.
“But he’s very beatable. You could catch him with a kick to the body or kick to the head. I think the kicks are going to be a big factor in this fight.
“And even in the wrestling exchanges, this is a five-round fight. I don’t think he’s going to have the cardio to really hang with me. His legs are super thick. The acid that builds up in his legs is gonna end up making him tired if he doesn’t literally sprint five miles a day.
“Me, I got jackrabbit legs. I can go forever with these legs. So Gustavo’s in for a really bad time when it comes to August 2.”
Overall, Brooks thinks his intent and aggression will be too much for Balart to handle.
While “El Gladiador” has managed to keep up the pace with others in the strawweight and flyweight divisions, the American is sure he can break him when push comes to shove.
He added:
“I have like a Jedi mind trick when I face other fighters. I make them calm down with my body language and how fast I might come at them. Aggression meets aggression.
“Let’s see who’s the bigger dog right now. I’ll get him in that corner. And then when I have that little dog in the corner, he’s done.
“I’m looking forward to showing everybody in the world that I can knock somebody out cold.”
