With just a week remaining until ONE Fight Night 24: Brooks vs. Balart, former ONE Strawweight MMA World Champion Jarred “The Monkey God” Brooks is desperate to reclaim his ONE gold against Cuban phenom Gustavo Balart. The latest Sportskeeda MMA post reveals their heated pre-fight trash talk as they build towards their highly anticipated showdown.

An image featuring a quote from Gustavo Balart explains his strategy of relying on striking to defeat Jarred Brooks. He states, “When he tried to do [Takedown] and realizes that he cannot do it, he will also find out my striking is better than his. It will be the end for him.” This post caught the attention of Jarred Brooks, who didn’t let the opportunity to fire back slip through his fingers. He quickly commented, “You got outstruck by Minowa.”

Brooks here reminding Gustavo Balart about his last outing against Japan’s star Hiroba Minowa, who is known for his impressive grappling skills. Minowa showcased these skills at the ONE 165 Tokyo card, where he faced Balart. Although Balart ultimately won by split decision in the third round, Minowa gave him a tough fight.

Now, looking ahead to ONE Fight Night 24, Jarred Brooks’ claims might not hold as much weight given Gustavo Balart’s recent success. While Brooks suffered two consecutive losses, including a title defeat to Joshua Pacio, Balart is riding a four-fight winning streak.

Jarred Brooks vs. Gustavo Balart: ONE Fight Night 24 main event

Since his promotional debut in 2021, Jarred Brooks has dominated opponents, climbing the ranks rapidly. His first victory came against Lito Adiwang, followed by two more wins that earned him a title shot against then-ONE Strawweight MMA World Champion Joshua Pacio. Brooks defeated Pacio by unanimous decision. However, in their rematch earlier this year, Brooks lost his belt due to an illegal slam. Now, he’s determined to reclaim his title.

Ranked #3 contender, Gustavo Balart, began his promotion journey with a loss but quickly rebounded. Since then, he has maintained the longest active winning streak in the division and has been eyeing the title for years. A victory at ONE Fight Night 24 could be life-changing for him and his family.

On paper, both Gustavo Balart and Jarred Brooks appear evenly matched. Their records make it difficult to predict a clear winner. The only way to determine the outcome is to watch their showdown on August 2nd, live on Prime Video in the US primetime. Stay tuned for updates.