Gustavo Balart has his eyes on the ultimate prize ahead of his return to ONE Championship, and it doesn’t matter who he has to go through to claim it.

On Friday, August 2, “El Gladiador” will meet former ONE Strawweight MMA World Champion Jarred Brooks to contest the interim divisional crown in the main event of ONE Fight Night 24 inside the iconic Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

Gustavo Balart focuses on becoming champion despite interim title challenge

Jarred Brooks controversially lost the World Title in his rematch with Joshua Pacio at ONE 165 earlier this year. “The Monkey God” was too aggressive at the start of their tussle and a slam inadvertently dropped Pacio on his head, resulting in the American being disqualified.

There was a clamor for an immediate third meeting between the pair, but plans didn’t come to fruition because Pacio was injured. As a result, an interim belt was introduced, and Balart was chosen as Brooks’ opponent thanks to his four-fight winning streak and #3-ranked contender status.

In an interview with ONE, the Cuban wrestler shared how his upcoming chance to claim gold is only the first step and that he’s not concerned about who he has to face to reach his true goal.

“Winning the interim belt will give me a chance to face whoever is next on the list, including the undisputed champion. My job is to try to be the new champion. And to do that, I need to defeat anyone in my path,” Balart said.

Balart sets sights on Brooks and the strawweight title

Defeating Brooks would be a massive accomplishment for Balart. The top-ranked strawweight MMA contender has dominated the competition throughout his tenure in the world’s largest martial arts organization, defeating noteworthy foes on his way to claiming the division’s top prize.

He further added, “Personally, I don’t care about names. I will go after whoever is the champion. It could be Pacio. Could be another fighter. But he is the one with the belt. And that is why I must face him.”

Even though he lost the World Title in his last outing, Brooks looked strong – and on his way to a successful defense – in the opening minutes of his clash with Pacio.

While he doesn’t care about who he has to face to get the coveted belt over his shoulder, Balart will need to overcome the two biggest names in his division to get there – and that road starts on August 2 at ONE Fight Night 24.