Jarred Brooks wants to see Pacio-Balart clash: 'That would be a good fight'
One Strawweight World Champion Jarred “The Monkey God” Brooks might be focused on getting another belt in a different sport, but that doesn’t mean he’s taking his eyes off his own division.
*One Strawweight World Champion Jarred “The Monkey God” Brooks. (ONE Championship)*
Brooks, who takes on BJJ superstar Mikey “Darth Rigatoni” Musumeci for the latter’s ONE Flyweight Submission Grappling World Championship at ONE Fight Night 13 on August 5, believes that his rivalry with Joshua “The Passion” Pacio is far from over. In fact, he’s looking forward to seeing the Filipino again in the future. “I think that [Joshua Pacio] needs to either go against me or he needs to go against Gustavo Balart. I think that would be a good fight. Either way, it will show where Gustavo lies in the whole division,” he said ahead of his clash at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. “But yeah, I think Josh is still ranked number one. I didn't beat him crazy bad, so I could see how they would want to rematch. But besides that, I think that Josh needs to fight again before he fights me.” Pacio and Brooks fought in the most anticipated matchup of the strawweight division last December. On that night, the American walked into the Filipino’s backyard and walked out the new ONE Strawweight World Champion. While the decision left no question as to who won the match, it wasn’t the domination that Brooks was expecting. After all, Pacio showed glimpses of his evolving wrestling defense. That’s why when it comes to the strawweight division, Brooks believes that Pacio remains to be the biggest threat to his crown, and he can’t wait to meet his old rival once more. “Pacio was the best in the division. I think that he's got his wrestling down pat, his striking has always been good, he's always knocked people out,” he said. “I think that me and Pacio, at the end of the day, would be a better look for the strawweight division.” While he sang praises for Pacio, Brooks challenged other athletes in the strawweight division to elevate their games further. “A huge message to every strawweight out there in my division. Work hard, man, I want to fight every one of you guys,” he said. ”If you guys are f—-- around, it isn't fair to me. It isn't fair to my family, and it isn't fair to ONE Championship and the fans. Quit f—--- around.”
*One Strawweight World Champion Jarred “The Monkey God” Brooks. (ONE Championship)*
Brooks, who takes on BJJ superstar Mikey “Darth Rigatoni” Musumeci for the latter’s ONE Flyweight Submission Grappling World Championship at ONE Fight Night 13 on August 5, believes that his rivalry with Joshua “The Passion” Pacio is far from over. In fact, he’s looking forward to seeing the Filipino again in the future. “I think that [Joshua Pacio] needs to either go against me or he needs to go against Gustavo Balart. I think that would be a good fight. Either way, it will show where Gustavo lies in the whole division,” he said ahead of his clash at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. “But yeah, I think Josh is still ranked number one. I didn't beat him crazy bad, so I could see how they would want to rematch. But besides that, I think that Josh needs to fight again before he fights me.” Pacio and Brooks fought in the most anticipated matchup of the strawweight division last December. On that night, the American walked into the Filipino’s backyard and walked out the new ONE Strawweight World Champion. While the decision left no question as to who won the match, it wasn’t the domination that Brooks was expecting. After all, Pacio showed glimpses of his evolving wrestling defense. That’s why when it comes to the strawweight division, Brooks believes that Pacio remains to be the biggest threat to his crown, and he can’t wait to meet his old rival once more. “Pacio was the best in the division. I think that he's got his wrestling down pat, his striking has always been good, he's always knocked people out,” he said. “I think that me and Pacio, at the end of the day, would be a better look for the strawweight division.” While he sang praises for Pacio, Brooks challenged other athletes in the strawweight division to elevate their games further. “A huge message to every strawweight out there in my division. Work hard, man, I want to fight every one of you guys,” he said. ”If you guys are f—-- around, it isn't fair to me. It isn't fair to my family, and it isn't fair to ONE Championship and the fans. Quit f—--- around.”