Minowa believes he showed Brooks the blueprint in defeating Adiwang

Fourth-ranked strawweight Hiroba Minowa fired back at the third-ranked Jarred “The Monkey God” Brooks ahead of their crucial tussle at ONE: Only The Brave set this Friday at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

True to his nature, Brooks has been hyping up the match by talking trash with his Japanese opponent and even rapping about him. The American further mentioned that he was able to finish their common opponent in Lito “Thunder Kid” Adiwang, while Minowa barely escaped the Filipino dynamo.

For the 23-year-old fighter from Saitama, Brooks merely finished what he started. Therefore, the Mash Fight Team mainstay should be grateful for his blueprint in beating Adiwang.

“You [Brooks] studied me in my fight [with Adiwang] before you fought him. One thing Brooks was good at in his fight [with Adiwang was maintaining] his distance. I was exploring it in my match with him,” Minowa said.

Ha added, “I’m sorry to say this to Adiwang, but whenever he looks like he is gaining momentum, he’s not swinging his punches. When I come out, he swings a counter. Brooks studied it well, matched Adiwang’s tackle, and took him down. 

“To be honest, I feel like Brooks was able to win because he saw my fight and was able to study it. So, I want to say to all the fighters who fight Adiwang [in the future], thank me.”

Minowa also added that the wrestler from Michigan looked impressive because Adiwang’s style was perfect for his expertise.

While Adiwang is a devastating striker, defending takedowns and escaping the ground game has been an ongoing weakness among Filipino fighters.

Brooks’ grappling pedigree gave him an advantage against the Team Lakay representative. However, he won’t have that edge against Minowa.

“In terms of the compatibility between Adiwang and Brooks, I think Adiwang was unlikely to win [their fight]. On the other hand, my style can work well against an opponent like Brooks if I get into it. If there’s a style to beat Brooks, it’s Minowa’s style,” the competitor with a 13-2 MMA record continued.

“What I’m better at is my mixed martial arts ability. If you look at wrestling, grappling, striking, and physicality as separate skills, he’s probably better than me. But I’m stronger in my ability to combine them and make them work together. If you look at my last two fights, you can see that.

“In addition to my newaza (ground fighting) skills, I think I’m stronger in striking, escaping, pounding, and other combinations of techniques. In terms of mixed martial arts, I think I’m the better fighter.” 

Minowa will be satisfied if he gets his third victory in as many fights at ONE Championship. However, he feels like he has the tools to finish off Brooks.

“There are several ways, but I think I’ll win by ippon (submission) in the third round,” he said.

“I think I’ll win by split decision, even if I have a tough time. If there is some luck involved, I may win by KO. I may be able to win by ippon in the first round.” 

Catch the Brooks-Minowa fight at ONE: ONLY THE BRAVE on One Sports+ beginning with the lead card on January 28 at 6:30 p.m. Philippine Standard Time (PHT). The main card will be available on ONE Sports and ONE Sports+ starting at 8:30 p.m. PHT.