Who’s next for Jarred Brooks? 3 possible new challengers

‘The Monkey God’ Jarred Brooks closed out ONE Championship 2022 by capturing the ONE World Strawweight Title in spectacular fashion. Handily defeating former champion Joshua Pacio at ONE 164, fans are already asking who will be the first man to challenge Brooks for his 26.4 pounds of gold.

Today, we take a look at three potential opponents who could step up and challenge ‘The Monkey God’ for his strawweight crown in 2023.

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#3. Gustavo ‘The Gladiator’ Balart

Debuting for the ONE Championship in 2019, Gustavo Balart couldn’t have had a more disastrous start within the Circle. In seven months, ‘El Gladiador’ suffered three straight losses. It’s certainly not something you normally see associated with a title contender, but that’s exactly what Balart is after a magnificent turnaround that began in 2021.

With three big wins in a row against Ryuto Sawada, Yosuke Saruta and Alex Silva, ‘The Gladiator’ finds himself as the No. 4 strawweight contender in the world. Perhaps another win could help cement his spot as the next man in line, but there’s definitely a case he can make right now for his shot at Jarred Brooks.

Watch the fight below:

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#two. Jeremy Miado

Marrok Force standout Jeremy ‘The Jaguar’ Miado was in a similar position to Gustavo Balart. Beginning his ONE Championship career by losing four of his first six bouts, the Filipino striker has shown some incredible improvements inside the cage, notching four straight wins over Lito Adiwang, Danial Williams and Miao Li Tao on two separate occasions.

Although he is currently unranked in the strawweight division, a big win could easily change that. Perhaps the best argument for ‘The Jaguar’ being the next man in line is the fact that Jarred Brooks has commented on Miado’s improvements in recent years and already sees him as a viable contender for the strawweight crown. If the reigning world champion gives you the nod, no more needs to be said.

Watch the fight below:

#1. Joshua Pacio

Jarred Brooks knows that his chapter with former champion Joshua Pacio is far from over. After delivering an entertaining main event at ONE 164, fans would no doubt love to see the two battle once again with Brooks walking around as the world champion this time around.

There’s no denying that Pacio simply didn’t see himself during his 25-minute performance in Manila. It’s unknown if Pacio had a bad night or if he just had too much respect for Jarred Brooks’ abilities, but the best way to find him is to get the two warriors back and Pacio would almost certainly take a different approach given him the chance. to regain the world strawweight championship.

Watch the fight below: