Jarred Brooks aiming for “first round” finish of Joshua Pacio at ONE 171: Qatar 

Jarred Brooks is ready to put his three-year rivalry with lineal king Joshua Pacio to bed. And he wants to do it as quickly as possible.   

Interim king Brooks and lineal champ Pacio will unify the ONE Strawweight MMA World Title soon. They meet in the third act of their long-standing feud at ONE 171: Qatar on Thursday, February 20, inside Lusail Sports Arena.

The first time the duo met, Brooks picked apart the Filipino star across five rounds. This happened at ONE 164 in December 2022 to win the crown.  

Their rematch then met an underwhelming end inside one minute in Qatar last year. There, at ONE 166, Pacio won the belt back after Brooks was disqualified for unintentionally dropping the Filipino on his head. 

One year on, back in the same location and under the same bright lights, Brooks is determined to leave no questions as to who the king really is at ONE 171.  

“I want to get it done, first round. I’m gonna get it. No matter where the fight takes me, I’m going to evolve and I’m going to erupt through Joshua Pacio’s power, spirit, and his physicality,” Brooks said. 

“That’s your job as a fighter, and I want to put on a show for the fans as well.” 

Jarred Brooks eager to return to the top of ONE’s strawweight MMA mountain

ONE Interim Strawweight MMA World Champion Jarred Brooks believes he’s the true king of the division. Luckily for him, he has the chance to definitively prove that at ONE 171: Qatar. 

“The Monkey God” cemented his position as the top challenger after submitting Gustavo Balart. This went down last August at ONE Fight Night 24 to pick up the interim crown. 

Now, “The Monkey God” is just one fight away from reaching the summit again. And following an anticlimactic display in their sequel, Brooks promises to give the fans in Qatar a definitive outcome in the trilogy.  

“The last time that we were all in Qatar, a lot of crazy stuff happened. I think that we are definitely going to relinquish that kind of energy back into the Qatari fans and to the people that were watching the card last year,” Brooks said. 

“I think that you should be excited for my fight because I’m the best in the world at my weight class.”