Jarred Brooks is moving on from his past mistakes, and he’s set his eyes on the prize in front of him in his upcoming ONE Championship battle. 

In the main event of ONE Fight Night 24 on Friday, August 2, “The Monkey God” has the opportunity to claim the ONE Interim Strawweight MMA World Championship when he faces former Cuban Olympic star Gustavo “El Gladiador” Balart inside the Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. 

Jarred Brooks is confident about his fight against Gustavo Balart

The American grappler joined the world’s largest martial arts organization in 2021 and amassed a perfect slate that culminated in winning the strawweight MMA strap against longtime king Joshua “The Passion” Pacio at ONE 164 in December 2022.

Unfortunately, Brooks failed to defend it in his rematch with the Filipino star at ONE 166 earlier this year after an awkward slam was deemed illegal, leading to his disqualification.

In an interview with ONE, the 31-year-old offered his thoughts on his latest loss and expressed his desire to get back on top. 

“It just makes me even hungrier. God puts these tests in front of me, and I have to knock them down. I’m humbled by the experience,” Brooks said. 

“I think that people are going to see a different version of Jarred Brooks this time around. I know that my capabilities speak louder than my words, so hopefully you guys will see my capabilities in full steam against Gustavo Balart.” 

Balart is perhaps the hottest contender in ONE’s strawweight MMA division. He is on a four-fight run of wins, with two of those coming at the expense of former divisional kings Alex Silva and Yosuke Saruta, respectively. 

How will “The Monkey God” win at ONE Fight Night 24

In his latest appearance, Balart took care of business against #4-ranked Hiroba Minowa to gain undeniable momentum in the stacked weight bracket.

Brooks recognizes his upcoming foe’s abilities, and he praises “El Gladiador” for his quenchable firepower. But the pleasantries end there, as he promises to showcase a new and improved style of fighting when they meet. 

“He is a smaller guy. He’s not somebody that I’m used to fighting, so stylistically, you’re going to see a different portion of me,” Brooks said. 

“Don’t get me wrong, I’m going to bring out the wrestling and everything like that, but just because Gustavo is 4-foot-11, it doesn’t mean that guy isn’t a G. He’s a boss baby. He looks like a baby, but he’ll beat that a**.”