Top-ranked contender Jarred “The Monkey God” Brooks is confident that there is no mixed martial artist in ONE Championship who can hold a candle to his skill set.
That includes his next foe in reigning ONE Strawweight World Champion Joshua “The Passion” Pacio.
Brooks and Pacio will collide in the main event of ONE 164 this Saturday at the Mall of Asia Arena in Manila, Philippines, and the brash American is expecting to be coronated.
“I don’t want to sound crazy cocky or anything, but I’ve been in this game for too long. And I’ve gone through most of what a mixed martial artist can go through. I don’t think that any of those guys have taken the [same] steps,” he said.
“I’m a masterclass in this game. I don’t think anybody in this division can hang with me. I mean, there are people that are better than me in certain aspects and certain things, but I’m altogether the main event.”
The American wrestling sensation acknowledged that Pacio has been a splendid World Champion, as the Filipino has been the face of the division for the past few years.
But that’s all the praise that Brooks gives Pacio, with the Mash Fight Team representative confident that the Team Lakay star hasn’t faced someone like him in the past.
“I’m looking to tire people out right off the bat, put them in deep water, and then put them out. I mean, don’t get me wrong, Josh doesn’t really get tired. But the people that he’s gone against aren’t grinders like me,” he said.
“If I grind against you and I’m a little bit tired, I promise you you’re going to be more tired than me at the end of the day.”
Brooks has talked the talk since debuting in The Home of Martial Arts last year, racking up wins over some of the biggest studs in the weightclass in Lito Adiwang, Hiroba Minowa, and Bokang Masunyane.
But he knows that with all his wins and impressive outings, nothing trumps becoming a ONE World Champion and besting the man who has dominated the strawweight division since 2018.
“This will be my biggest win ever, man. I [will be] a ONE Championship World Champion. I mean, screw all the people that I’m fighting. It’s the organization that I’m fighting for,” he said.
“And if I’m the champion of ONE Championship, then man, that goes on as my number one [win] for sure.”
Tickets for ONE Fight Night 5 and ONE 164: Pacio vs. Brooks at the Mall of Asia Arena on 3 December are available at https://linktr.ee/ONEPH.
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