Jarred “The Monkey God” Brooks believes that Lito “Thunder Kid” Adiwang’s willingness to talk smack ahead of their bout at ONE: NEXTGEN III next month is a sign that the Filipino is nervous entering their long awaited clash.
Uncharacteristically, the usually reserved Adiwang has engaged Brooks in trashtalk since their originally scheduled bout last April, and it has continued leading up to their bout scheduled for next month.
For Brooks, it’s a sign that he has gotten into Adiwang’s head.
“You usually don’t see Lito talking stuff, so it doesn’t really make sense why he would try to talk trash at this point. I think he may be a little bit nervous, he might be quivering a little bit,” Brooks said.
“Besides that, I don’t really care what he has to say or what his team has to say, I know his team is really good. I have the utmost respect for his team and they have a lot of great qualities and fighters, but at the end of the day, it’s my job to stamp it down and show him that I’m the best in the world.”
When asked about what ticked him off, Adiwang said that he was annoyed by how Brooks had been talking trash online, including the time the American powerhouse said he’d “cut his mullet” and “shut him up” after their bout.
“I just got irritated,” Adiwang told Brooks in the faceoff. “I’ve been seeing your comments that you wanted to cut my mullet after you beat me, so let’s settle the score first and let’s worry about my mullet later.”
Brooks was quick to apologize for his mullet comments, asking his Filipino counterpart to not take him seriously with the jokes.
“One, Lito, I didn't know about your culture and how much the mullet has an influence in your culture. So, I’d like to apologize,” Brooks said.
“I wasn’t thinking about that, but at the same time, I thought it was a funny comment. It is kind of funny, so at the end of the day, I’m a comedian in this sport as well – please don’t take that to heart.”
While Brooks regrets the comments that he made about Adiwang’s mullet, the plan still stays the same for him – to beat Adiwang and prove that he’s indeed one of the best strawweights in the world.
“At the same time, I do plan on beating you, Lito. I am not Hexigetu. I am not that guy,” Brooks reminded Adiwang.
“You might have been able to withstand whatever he has, but that guy is a very timid, super timid guy. I am not. So, goodluck with that my friend.”
Read More From ONE Championship:
Grigorian Sends Souwer Into Retirement With Second-Round TKO
Sitthichai Narrowly Beats Ozcan, Advances To GP Semifinals
Chingiz Allazov Stops Samy Sana, Advances To Grand Prix Semifinals