Looking to leave no room for doubt, former ONE Strawweight MMA World Champion Jarred “The Monkey God” Brooks is enlisting every advantage he can find to secure victory against Cuba’s Gustavo Balart at ONE Fight Night 24: Brooks vs. Balart. Their clash for the ONE Interim Strawweight MMA World Title takes place on August 2nd, during US prime time, at the Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand

Jarred Brooks recently announced on social media that his fight camp got a boost with the addition of a former freestyle Olympian and several other MMA coaches to help him prepare for his upcoming clash with Gustavo Balart.

Who is Jarred Brooks’s new freestyle Olympian coach?

Jarred Brooks is training hard these days, aiming to recapture the belt he lost earlier this year. In March 2024, a disqualification for an illegal slam against Joshua Pacio cost him his ONE Strawweight MMA World Title. Brooks has bolstered his training team to regain his championship glory.

This time, Brooks added renowned Honduran freestyle wrestler Brandon Escobar and, in a surprising move, also brought on Gustavo Balart’s former coach and training partner, Jackson Wink. He posted a picture of these additions on Instagram with the caption: “Complete honor to bring @escobarthefighter into this camp he is a freestyle Olympian, first Honduran to do so!”

“The Monkey God” further wrote,”@tigermuaythai and @jacksonwink_mma coach and former training partner of my opponent! God blesses me with people. Want to thank my boy @jon_reyes as well for getting me these looks! If anyone is in the @brighton area of Michigan, hit him up literally a wizard!”

This intensive preparation indicates that Jarred Brooks will rely more heavily on wrestling this time. This was also confirmed by Brooks in a recent interview with a renowned media outlet, he stated that wrestling will be key to defeating Gustavo Balart at ONE Fight Night 24.

Will grappling be the key to success for Jarred Brooks?

Since his debut in ONE Championship, Jarred” The Monkey God” Brooks has impressed fans with his exciting style and fight victories. His three-fight win streak earned him a title shot against Joshua Pacio, leading to him capturing the ONE Strawweight MMA World Title. Brooks then sought to test himself in submission grappling by challenging Mikey Musumeci, the reigning ONE Submission Grappling World Champion. Although he fell short in that bout, Brooks more than held his own and proved that he can be a force in grappling.

While honing his grappling skills, ‘The Money King” has also been sharing insight into his strategy for defeating Gustavo Balart at ONE Fight 24. In a recent interview with Sportskeeda MMA “If you watched me go against Bokang Masunyane, I got his back really quick and I stayed there,” Brooks said. “And I think Gustavo, for one, has never been on his back like that. I know that he went against Alex Silva, and he’s a great black belt, a multi-time world champion and all.“

Now, all eyes are on the upcoming ONE Fight Night 24: Brooks vs. Balart. Do you think that with the help of the former Olympian, Jarred Brooks can defeat the Cuban sensation Gustavo Balart in their clash for the ONE Interim Strawweight MMA World Championship? Let us know in the comments.