"If he's overlooking me, that's the biggest mistake he's doing" - Bokang Masunyane warns Jarred Brooks ahead of their title eliminator match

Bokang Masunyane has had just about enough of Jarred Brooks’ penchant for looking too far ahead.

Brooks, the No.2 strawweight contender, routinely calls out ONE strawweight world champion Joshua Pacio every chance he gets, even though Masunyane is the No.1 contender in the division.

The two contenders will feature in a title eliminator at ONE: Eersel vs. Sadikovic on April 22, which will be broadcast live from the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

Masunyane, in an interview with The African Fighters, said Brooks’ tendency to constantly target Pacio might just be the cause of his downfall.

Masunyane said:

“If Jarred Brooks is sleeping on me, then he’s in big trouble. I think it’s either he doesn’t wanna speak of me because he knows what I’m capable of or he’s very ignorant of my ability. That’s a very big mistake.”

Masunyane said Brooks’ attitude towards him was nothing new. ‘Little Giant’ said he’s had opponents before who never expected anything from him and would only realize they’re in big trouble once the fight went on.

He added that his opponents would often downplay him because he came from South Africa, without realizing that country has slowly created a mixed martial arts community.

“After a while, you will see the disappointment in their faces while they fight me. Going into the second or third round they start to realize ‘oh s*** I’m in a fight now.’ The fact that I’m from South Africa, or Africa [in general], they think that there’s no MMA in the country. But MMA is growing in Africa and it’s growing big.”

---

Bokang Masunyane wants that title fight against Joshua Pacio

Bokang Masunyane knows that beating Jarred Brooks in their title eliminator is the biggest step he will take before he fights Pacio for the ONE strawweight world title.

While he knows that Brooks is his toughest opponent yet, Masunyane said the end goal would always be defeating the champion:

“Jarred Brooks is a very tough fighter and very good American wrestler. But I’m not here to take part, at the end of the day I’m there to get a title shot. I’m there for the takeover. I want to be the world champion and at the moment Jarred Brooks is on my way. In order for me to get closer to that title, I have to beat Jarred Brooks.”