“Nothing but Respect for Him” – Jarred Brooks Adamant About Facing and Beating Demetrious Johnson

Jarred Brooks believes Demetrious Johnson doesn’t have much time left in his combat sports career. Moreover, he wants to get his shot at the sporting legend while he can. The ONE Strawweight MMA World Champion is eager to get back to work in the ONE Championship, especially after the recent birth of his child.

Topping his list of desired opponents is ‘Mighty Mouse’. Earlier this year, the world’s largest martial arts organization’s flyweight MMA king hinted that he has been thinking about hanging up his gloves! Further, Brooks has persistently called him out since.

Jarred Brooks eager to face Demetrious Johnson

A fighter publicly naming a rival they’d like to face can often be construed as abrasive. However, ‘The Monkey God’ says it comes from a good place. “DJ is the main fight, period. I have nothing but respect for him. The way that I have been calling out, it can seem like it is disrespectful, but you’ve got to sell fights too,” he told ONE in an interview.

“I have nothing but love for DJ, but as far as us fighting, man, I’m here to kill you, bro. You’re literally the person I looked up to, and if I’ve gotta put the sword in you, I’ll be that person.”

Johnson’s legendary career makes him an idol for many mixed martial artists, including Brooks. That said, he believes that his stardom will jump to the next level if he defeats the man known by many as the MMA GOAT.

Read More – Demetrious Johnson Wins Gold at the 2023 IBJJF World Championship

And that’s not out of the realms of possibility, should they ever square off. Throughout his ONE tenure, Brooks has beaten top-level fighters in the strawweight MMA division, including former longtime divisional king Joshua Pacio, whom he snatched the crown from last December.

Jarred Brooks has plans to beat ‘Mighty Mouse’

In his last outing at ONE Fight Night 13 in August, he left his comfort zone by moving away from his sport and weight class to challenge Mikey Musumeci for the ONE Flyweight Submission Grappling World Title. While he ultimately succumbed to an armbar from ‘Darth Rigatoni’, Brooks impressed everyone with his incredible heart and skill hanging with the grappling phenom.

And if he ever gets his dream matchup against Johnson, Brooks is confident he will surprise fans once again – as long as the flyweight MMA titleholder doesn’t put him away quickly. “I have plans for all of [the opponents I might face] and ways to beat them. I mean, it’s either you’re going to catch me with something that is out of the blue, like a one-in-ten chance, or you’re going to get beat by me,” he said.

“You’re going to have to knock me out in the first round or something. So if it’s in the second round or third round, I don’t care if it is Demetrious Johnson. I believe in myself that much. And the people that don’t believe me, you just got to wait and see.”

Will Brooks be able to face and defeat Johnson? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.