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On April 22nd, at ONE: Eersel vs. Sadikovic, rising ONE strawweight star Jarred Brooks will face undefeated South African dynamo Bokang 'Little Giant' Masunyane. The highly-anticipated strawweight contest will determine who will face the champion, Joshua Pacio next.
Speaking to Tarps Off Sports via Zoom call, the openly vocal 'Monkey God' revealed what he thinks of his fight with Masunyane:
"I'm looking forward to fighting Bokang [Masunyane]. He's on my plate next. He's a tremendous fighter. He has a lot of great qualities about him but I'm in there to stop him and show the world that I'm the real best strawweight in the world."
It's a bold gameplan for the former UFC and Bellator fighter. Masunyane has never been beaten and has proven that his explosiveness is something to be respected inside the cage. Still, Jarred Brooks is firm on his intention to dominate the undefeated 'Little Giant':
"I want a finish. Everybody wants the finish. And if he can last, then I'm willing to go the distance as well, but I want to finish him. I do want to finish him as fast as possible and be healthy."
With half of his pro MMA wins coming by way of either knockout or submission, Brooks has the resume to prove that his intentions are not unfounded. All we have to do is wait 'til April 22nd to find out if he comes through with his plans come fight night.
Watch Jarred Brooks' full interview here:
"I don't think he necessarily wants to fight me" - Jarred Brooks on reigning ONE strawweight world champion Joshua Pacio
A Jarred Brooks interview would be incomplete without him throwing verbal jabs at the reigning ONE strawweight champion, Joshua Pacio. The confident 'Monkey God' explains why he thinks 'The Passion' has been avoiding him ever since he set foot inside the Circle:
"I don't think he [Pacio] necessarily wants to fight me. I think he wants to ride it out as long as possible. He knows that I'm a really bad match-up for him. I think that Bokang is a better match-up for him for sure. I know that he's praying that Bokang wins this fight or anybody else wins this fight except for me. He's seen what I did against Lito [Adiwang], and Lito is a more explosive version than him. Joshua [Pacio] like, fought the old, good strawweights. I'm fighting the new good strawweights. So when it comes down to Joshua, I'm looking forward to one, feeling him out and see how good he actually is and two, I'm just looking to pound his face in."
While he did decimate Pacio's teammate Lito 'Thunder Kid' Adiwang in his promotional debut, it's safe to say that the champion is a different fighter. Still, if we consider the phrase "styles make fights", then there is some merit to Brooks' words. Pacio's Team Lakay is famous for their Wushu-based striking acumen but has found less success in the grappling department.
Nevertheless, Jarred Brooks needs to get past Masunyane first before getting a chance to prove that he is right about the champion. Tune in on April 22nd to see the action and drama unfold.
