Jarred Brooks Wins Interim Strawweight MMA World Title, Secures Trilogy With Joshua Pacio

Jarred Brooks Gustavo Balart ONE Fight Night 24 18

Jarred Brooks bagged the ONE Interim Strawweight MMA World Title to guarantee another shot at divisional king Joshua Pacio after he decimated Gustavo Balart at ONE Fight Night 24 on Prime Video.

On August 2 in U.S. primetime, the former undisputed titleholder needed less than one round to tear through his #3-ranked opponent at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

The two colossally confident athletes immediately collided at the center of the ring, where #1-ranked Brooks shot in, dragged his man to the canvas, and clung to his back like an octopus.

From there, “The Monkey God” swam his tentacles over, around, and through the arms of Balart until he was able to apply a rear-naked choke.

The American squeezed hard but Balart defended well until he could no longer defend at all. But before the Cuban could sink into unconsciousness, he tapped at the 4:39 mark of round one.

Jarred Brooks Gustavo Balart ONE Fight Night 24 16

With the win, Brooks upped his professional record to 21-3, scored his 11th finish, and set up a World Title unification fight with Pacio. Along with the interim belt, he then received his Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt in the ring from esteemed coach and multi-time IBJJF World Champion Alex Hodi.

In the 31-year-old’s post-fight interview with ONE Commentator Mitch Chilson, he celebrated by calling out both Pacio and ONE Flyweight MMA World Champion Demetrious Johnson.

“I got two [belts], you got one, so let’s match it up,” Brooks said of Pacio before turning his attention to Johnson. “Watch me, I’m coming for you, brother.”

More in Mixed Martial Arts

Russian MMA fighter Ibragim Dauev
Filipino MMA phenom Jhanlo Mark Sangiao
Brazilian MMA fighter Pedro Dantas
ONE Women's Atomweight Muay Thai World Champion Allycia Hellen Rodrigues
Muay Thai fighters Rambong Sor Therapat and Suriyanlek Por Yenying
Japanese MMA fighter Chihiro Sawada
Shinechagtga Zoltsetseg Chen Rui ONE Friday Fights 34 55
Jhanlo Mark Sangiao Matias Farinelli ONE Fight Night 9 22
Joshua Pacio Jarred Brooks ONE 171 68
Rambong Sor Therapat Patakake Sinbimuaythai ONE Friday Fights 90 26
Anatoly Malykhin Oumar Kane ONE 169 46
Masaaki Noiri with the gold ONE World Title belt