ONE Championship: Jarred Brooks thinks he needs to bury Pacio to put doubts over strawweight dominance to rest
- Jarred Brooks has already beaten Joshua Pacio once, but his decision win in 2022 left some questions unanswered
- The pair clash again for the strawweight title in Qatar on Friday, with the American believing only a quick finish will do
Jarred Brooks has beaten Joshua Pacio once, earning a decision win in a fairly one-sided fight in 2022.
That clearly wasn’t enough for the American, who thinks the manner of that victory left some questions unanswered.
The two men will meet for a second time at ONE 166 in Qatar om Friday, with Brooks putting the strawweight title he won from Pacio that day on the line.
And the champion thinks it won’t be enough to win by decision the second time around.
“I’m going out to show that I’m the best strawweight in the world [so] I’ve got to finish him, I’ve got to bury him,” Brooks said.
Undefeated in MMA since signing for ONE Championship, Brooks now thinks the manner of his next victory will be as significant as the result itself.
“I think that at my point of my career I’m on the cusp of greatness, and a finish of Pacio, who knows what could be next,” he said.
“I think that finishes are what’s going to get my name out there and I plan on finishing Joshua Pacio in spectacular fashion and showing [ONE boss] Chatri [Sityodtong] and the world that I’m the best in the world.”
Brooks has clearly given the rematch a lot of thought. He has put himself in his opponent’s shoes and the champion believes he knows exactly what Pacio is thinking and planning.
“He’s going to look for angles, try to move his feet a little bit more, try more boxing and he isn’t going to be doing kicks,” he said. “Kicks are what got him on his back in the first place. If he tries to do kicks, I’ll be surprised.”
Brooks has two losses on his record, both of which came during his UFC stint. The first was a split decision defeat at the hands of future flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo in Brazil, a result that had something of a hometown feel about it.
The second defeat was just bizarre, with Brooks knocking himself out while slamming José Torres into the canvass in 2018. Six years later he can see the funny side.
“Nine times out of 10 I beat that guy and that one time I knocked myself out,” he said. “I think it’s hilarious, who knocks themselves out? I’m the only person who can knock Jarred Brooks out.”
If Brooks is victorious at ONE 166 he will have won five straight fights in ONE’s strawweight division. Should that happen, the 30-year-old will immediately set his sights on one of the biggest names on the roster.
“Demetrious Johnson could be a big fight for me, I could go up to flyweight,” he said.
