“He’s not going to feel the same energy” – Jarred Brooks criticizes Joshua Pacio’s diet plan ahead of ONE 166 rematch

ONE strawweight MMA world champion Jarred Brooks is not convinced of the diet plan employed by Filipino rival Joshua Pacio in preparation for their rematch next week. In fact, he sees it as something that will backfire in the end.

‘The Monkey God’ will defend his world title at ONE 166: Qatar on March 1 at the Lusail Sports Arena. He is being challenged by ‘The Passion,’ from whom he took the championship belt in December 2022 by unanimous decision.

In the lead-up to their rematch, Pacio said he made sure that everything he did was in line with what he wanted to accomplish, leaving no stone unturned. It included keeping his diet in check.

Asked by The MMA Superfan for his thoughts on it, Jarred Brooks said he is not too high on the diet plan of the Lions Nation MMA standout, saying:

“He’s eating half of an egg and some broccoli. That isn’t giving you the nutrition that you need in order to get to a fight, bro. You need carbs. You need the things that are going to fuel your body at the end of the day. When he puts those complex carbs in after the fight instead of before the fight, he’s not going to feel the same energy systems.”

Check out what he had to say below:

Jarred Brooks is coming off an unsuccessful bid to become a double ONE world champion after he lost by submission to flyweight submission grappling king Mikey Musumeci in their all-champion clash in August.

For his part, Joshua Pacio bounced back in his last fight in October after being dethroned, beating Russian wrestler Mansur Malachiev by unanimous decision.

ONE 166 is ONE Championship’s first-ever live on-ground event in Qatar. It will air live on March 1 free of charge for existing Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.

Jarred Brooks out to prove he is the best strawweight fighter in the game right now at ONE 166

American Jarred Brooks is out to prove that he is the best strawweight fighter in the game right now when he defends the ONE strawweight MMA world title next week.

The 31-year-old world champion will try to retain his championship belt against Filipino rival Joshua Pacio at ONE 166: Qatar on March 1.

It is a rematch between the two top fighters in the division after their first encounter in December 2022, where ‘The Monkey God’ defeated ‘The Passion’ by unanimous decision to become the new divisional king.

In the same interview with The MMA Superfan, Brooks reiterated that as he defends his world title, he is also out to show that he is the best there is in his lane, saying:

“We're here now and I'm super happy that I pushed myself beyond my limit over the past six months and all that, and I’m gonna go out and show that like I said, I’m the best strawweight in the world right now.”

Jarred Brooks made his promotional debut in November 2021, winning all of his four MMA fights. His lone defeat came in submission grappling when he lost to flyweight champion Mikey Musumeci back in August.