On August 3, 2024, Beijing time, Jarred "The Monkey King" Brooks (Jarred "The Monkey King" Brooks (Jarred Brooks) submitted Gustavo Balart (Gustavo Balart) by rear-naked choke in the first round at 4 minutes and 39 seconds to win the strawweight mixed martial arts interim world title in the main event of "ONE: Pinnacle Series 24" brought to fans by internationally renowned sports IP.
In this matchup, Brooks showcased his wrestling skills and grappling on the ground. Balart is a three-time Pan American Greco-Roman Wrestling Champion and reached the quarterfinals of the Summer Olympics in London. In the pre-race weighing, Balart did not pass the weight, and even if he won, he could not win the championship, but this also means that Balart has an advantage in weight.
Facing the Olympic wrestler, Brooks started with a leg and a knockdown on Balart. However, Balart's explosiveness should not be underestimated, and he quickly flipped over to suppress the upper position. Undeterred, Brooks got up and took down his rival again, and managed to take his back and perform his specialty rear-naked choke. Balart couldn't break free and was submitted by rear-naked choke in the first round. Such an outstanding performance also allowed Brooks to receive a Jiu-Jitsu black belt from his Jiu-Jitsu teacher on the spot, and also lift the Interim World Champion belt in the grassweight mixed martial arts division.
It was Brooks' second championship belt in the ONE ring. In the main event of ONE 164, Brooks challenged then-champion Joshua "The Passion" Pacio, using powerful takedowns and plenty of physicality to control the pace of the contest. In the end, Brooks defeated his opponent with a five-round decision to take away Pacio's ONE Strawweight World Title gold. At ONE 166 in March, Brooks faced old foe Pacio in his first title defense. Brooks lifted Pacio high in the air during the game and smashed his head to the ground. Pacio loses the ability to resist and the referee stops the game. The bout lasted only 56 seconds, but the smashing of the head and cervical spine under the ONE rules was a violation, and Brooks lost the belt. Now that Brooks is the Interim Strawweight MMA World Champion, a unification fight with Pacio is on the agenda. In the post-game interview, Brooks called out to Pacio: "Pacio, look at me, I'm coming to you, bro!" ”
In addition to Pacio, Brooks has one goal on his mind, and that's ONE Flyweight MMA World Champion Demetrious "Mighty Mouse" Johnson. Brooks: "I have two belts and you have one, so let's fight it out." This isn't the first time Brooks has called a flyweight title, as he challenged Flyweight Submission Grappling World Champion Mikey Musumeci at "ONE: Pinnacle Series 13," but lost the eventual victory. Submission grappling isn't what Brooks does best, and he believes he can defeat "Mighty Mouse" if it were mixed martial arts rules.
Who would you like to see Brooks fight next?