“I Was Ecstatic” – Strawweight Contender Jarred Brooks Reacts to Praise From MMA GOAT Demetrious Johnson

Published 04/11/2022, 9:00 AM EDT

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Jarred “The Monkey God” Brooks has always known that he has what it takes to become the ONE Strawweight World Champion.

But the No. 2-ranked contender’s self-belief was bolstered recently by 12-time Flyweight World Champion Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson, who asserted that Brooks would be divisional king Joshua “The Passion” Pacio’s toughest test on the global stage so far.

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“The Monkey God” took those words kindly and described the Washington native as an athlete he has looked up to from day one.

“Man, I was ecstatic. I mean, you’re talking about the best of all time, that goat, Demetrious Johnson,” Brooks said in response to Johnson’s praise.

“That’s somebody that I’ve looked up to since I was in high school. And what made me really want to fight and really want to pursue fighting at a smaller weight class. He was definitely the project, for sure.”

Brooks will have the opportunity to move one step closer to Pacio’s crown when he takes on #1-ranked contender Bokang Masunyane in a World Title eliminator matchup at ONE: Eersel vs. Sadikovic on Friday, 22 April.

Should he topple the top-ranked star, the Mash Fight Team athlete will extend his win streak at the Singapore-based organization to three and cement himself as next in line to challenge the longtime champion.

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Jarred Brooks envisions an impressive showing at ONE: Eersel vs. Sadikovic

Brooks has adapted to life on the global stage at a blistering pace. He submitted Lito “Thunder Kid” Adiwang in his debut in the Circle, and he followed that success with another near-perfect outing against #4-ranked Japanese star Hiroba Minowa.

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Masunyane will be a different challenge altogether for the 28-year-old wrestling specialist, but he’s relishing his chance to become the first man to put a dent in the South African star’s perfect 8-0 record.

“I think that I’m the best in the division, no matter what. I mean, you got to go out and prove things. But inside of my head, and the way I see fight night [against Masunyane], I do see my hand getting raised in a spectacular fashion,” Brooks offered.

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Written by:

Deepak Kumar

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Deepak Kumar is a UFC author at EssentiallySports. His love for MMA comes from the chaos and violence the fight game brings to the table. A BJJ aspirant, Deepak began following the sport as a casual fan when Ronda Rousey was finishing her opponents in seconds.
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Edited by:

Arman Khan