Brooks ready to prove he is next for title challenge.
J
arred “The Monkey God” Brooks believes that his opponent at ONE: Eersel vs. Sadikovic on April 22 has yet been tested by an opponent of his calibre. The brash American will face first-ranked contender Bokang “Little Giant” Masunyane in a title eliminator for the chance to challenge reigning champ Joshua Pacio.
Although Brooks admits that his opponent has great qualities making him a tough challenge, he insists that he is far beyond the competition that the South African has faced. Brooks plans to show that to the world inside the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
“Bokang is super athletic, he has a lot of great qualities that he has shown. But unfortunately, he hasn’t gone up against anybody and [now] they put him against me,” Brooks explained. “I think I’ve faced way better opponents.”
“Little Giant” has relied on his incredible wrestling prowess to dominate his opponents before and has amassed an 8-0 record in the sport. But this time, Brooks will present a new challenge for his opponent, as the Mash Fight Team representative had an extensive wrestling background before transitioning to MMA.
“The Monkey God” plans to take Masunyane into uncharted waters and aim to continue his winning ways in ONE. Brooks plans to dismantle his opponent’s effort to take the fight to the ground and keep the fight on the feet.
“I do see [Masunyane] breaking on the feet and shooting for a takedown, and I’ll make it difficult for him. If he does take me down, I’ll spring back up,” Brooks said.
“He’s not going to be able to hold me back like he did to all his past opponents.”
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Brooks went on to say that the current champion of the division is reigning on borrowed time, as there are more and more opponents who are eyeing the belt and the competition has become fierce. He believes that a lot of the fighters in the rankings have what it takes to take down the current king and become the new World Champion.
“Bokang is better than Joshua Pacio, and should Bokang fight against Pacio, I think he would win,” Brooks explained.
“Pacio has his hands full in the division right now, everyone is coming up. Guys like Jeremy Miado, me and Bokang — I think it’ll be a tough road for [Pacio].”
Catch ONE 156: Eersel vs Sadikovic live on Vidio.com, Kaskus TV, NETVERSE, or MAXstream beginning with the lead card at 4 p.m. Western Indonesia Time (WIB) this Friday, April 22.
The main card broadcasts live on Vidio.com, Kaskus TV, NETVERSE and MAXstream at 7:30 p.m. WIB. Also, NET TV will air a same-day delay at 10 p.m. WIB.
This article is published in collaboration with ONE Championship