5 Weapons That Make Gustavo Balart The Man To Beat Jarred Brooks
The main event of ONE Fight Night 24 on Prime Video will see Cuban powerhouse Gustavo “El Gladiador” Balart challenge former titleholder Jarred “The Monkey God” Brooks for the ONE Interim Strawweight MMA World Title in an intriguing clash that promises plenty of fireworks.
Set to take place live in U.S. primetime on August 2 at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, the showdown will be the #3-ranked contender’s chance to solidify himself as a global superstar.
The 37-year-old looks to be in the finest shape of his career, and he’ll come into the contest riding an impressive four-fight winning streak that includes victories over two former ONE World Champions.
Ahead of his shot at 26 pounds of gold, these are Balart’s five most dangerous weapons.
A Big Overhand Left
“El Gladiador” is a decorated and supremely talented Greco-Roman wrestler, but he tends to do his best work in the stand-up department, where he loves to unleash massive punches.
Fighting out of the southpaw stance, Balart’s primary weapon is his thunderous overhand left. Because he’s typically the shorter fighter, his opponents will often lower their guard – giving the Cuban the opening he needs to land this punch with ruthless intentions.
Punishing Leg Kicks
Some fans might be surprised by Balart’s skilled and dynamic kicks. While he’s capable of throwing the attcks to the body and head, he’s most effective when punishing his foes with pulverizing leg kicks.
These kicks cause serious damage on their own, but they work particularly well when paired with his overhand left punch, creating an incredibly difficult-to-defend combination.
Clean Counter-Strikes
Given his short stature, the #3-ranked strawweight MMA contender sometimes struggles to fight at a long range. Instead, he loves to bait his opponents into crashing the distance so he can fire off powerful counter-strikes of his own.
Over the course of his 16-fight professional career, Balart has perfected this game, evolving from a pure wrestler to a dangerous counter-striker.
Relentless Clinch Work
Despite all the advances he’s made in his striking, the former Greco-Roman Olympic wrestler remains, at his core, a crushingly strong grappler.
To that end, Balart excels in the clinch where he is a buzz saw of activity with world-class takedowns and aggressive strikes.
Brutal Ground-And-Pound
While “El Gladiador” doesn’t use his wrestling often, if he does get the fight to the canvas, he is a terrifying ground-and-pound artist.
Notably, he uses ONE’s global mixed martial arts rule set to his advantage and is happy to punish his opponents with concussive knees to the head whenever the opportunity presents itself.
