Jarred Brooks Dethrones Joshua Pacio To Capture ONE Strawweight World Title

After months of trash talk, Jarred Brooks is now the ONE Strawweight World Champion.

The simmering feud was brought to a boiling point in the main event of ONE 164 in the Mall of Asia Arena in Manila, Philippines, where the American sensation defeated Filipino hero Joshua Pacio by unanimous decision to capture the prestigious belt on December 4.

“The Monkey God” went to work quickly, bringing the fight to the canvas in the first round where he punished the Filipino superstar with ground-and-pound for nearly four full minutes.

Through the second and third frames, though, Pacio showed exceptional takedown defense, using underhooks to successfully ward off the American’s vaunted wrestling attack.

But on the feet, Brooks was able to land his fair share of looping and leaping punches as the Team Lakay fighter looked to counter.

In the fourth, the 29-year-old finally took Pacio to the mat with a beautiful back-take and spent more than 90 seconds hunting a rear-naked choke to close the round.

“The Monkey God” then sealed the victory in the final frame as he scored yet another takedown to put a stamp on an incredibly disciplined and well-rounded World Champion performance.

All three Circle-side judges saw the contest in Brooks’ favor, awarding him the hard-earned decision.

After the bout, an emotional Brooks, with 26 pounds of gold hanging over his shoulder, thanked the Filipino crowd, gave respect to Pacio, and dedicated his brand-new belt to his father.

Now undefeated in four thrilling fights since joining ONE Championship – and 20-2 (1 NC) overall – the American can look forward to defending his crown atop the division in 2023.