ONE Interim MMA Strawweight World Champion Jarred “The Monkey God” Brooks is gearing up for his unification bout with reigning divisional king Joshua “The Passion” Pacio just days after absorbing his first MMA loss in ONE Championship.
Brooks moves back down to strawweight to challenge Pacio and complete their trilogy in the co-main event of ONE 171: Qatar on February 20, 2025, at Lusail Sports Arena in Doha.
READ: Pacio - Brooks III made official for ONE 171: Qatar
The American, fresh off a split-decision loss at flyweight to Reece McLaren, remained headstrong even after the defeat. He even warned not only Pacio but everyone who could possibly get in his way to glory.
“No one is safe moving forward, I know what I need to work on,” he said.
For the first time in his MMA career with ONE, Brooks looked human against McLaren as the latter’s striking and size proved to be a handful.
In that fight, McLaren defended Brooks’ takedowns well, absorbing “The Monkey God’s” best shots on the feet.
The Australian utilized his reach and played from a distance, landing combinations of straights and hooks to keep Brooks at bay for the duration of the fight.
Still, Brooks can be proud of himself, regardless of the repercussions or results.
“I went up a weightclass at 135 pounds to try for greatness [on] short notice; my head is held high,” he said.
“I thought I did great on short notice against someone that deserved a title shot. I’m not afraid of anyone, in fact I would love to run it back after I defend my title here soon. No losses, just lessons.”
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