Jarred Brooks outplays Koha Minowa, issues challenge to Joshua Pacio for ONE strawweight belt

Jarred Brooks came close to submitting Koha Minowa. ONE Championship

By Ivan Saldajeno

MANILA--Jarred Brooks continued on making some noise in ONE Championship after edging Koha Minowa in an anticipated strawweight showdown at ONE: Only the Brave on Friday night at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

It was a dominant display for Brooks even as he showed that he can also be efficient in the striking game en route to his second win at ONE and fifth straight win overall.

Brooks, known for his submission prowess, delivered solid strikes to Minowa in the first round that opened a cut on his left eye side.

Then in Round 2, Brooks banked on his trademark ground game and even came close to completing a rear-naked choke on Minowa only for the latter to get himself loose and survive the round.

Brooks appeared to have slowed down a bit in Round 3, and Minowa tagged Brooks with two flying knee strikes within the last 20 seconds of the bout.

Minowa's late charge came a bit too late as Brooks prevailed via unanimous decision.

In the post-fight interview, however, Brooks, currently ranked third among ONE's strawweight contenders, called out reigning ONE strawweight champ Joshua Pacio and issued a challenge for his belt.

"I'm super prepared. Joshua Pacio, you better be ready, baby. The 'Monkey God' is coming! Daddy's home," Brooks exclaimed.

The now 18-2 Brooks even claims he is unbeatable in the 125-pound division and vows to knock Pacio out.

"I'll beat you right over my knee just like I did 'Hiroba'. I'm ready, man! Nobody's gonna beat me in this division, not Bokang [Masunyane], not you," Brooks continued.

He concluded by saying he can also move up to 135 pounds and dominate the ONE flyweight division too.

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