MMA: Brooks taunts Pacio ahead of clash
The trash talk continues. Outspoken strawweight contender Jarred Brooks went at it again by promising to give defending champion Joshua Pacio a serious beating when they meet inside the cage.
Originally, Brooks and Pacio were slated to battle last June, but a scheduling conflict prevented the match from going ahead.
The two will finally meet on December 3, with Brooks challenging Pacio on the latter’s turf in Pasay City.
In an interview, the American fighter said he has no qualms taking on Pacio in front of a hostile crowd.
“Don’t get me wrong, he’s like Manny Pacquiao over there in the Philippines, but people know that real [expletive] comes from America,” Brooks said.
“I’m going to give him a good American asskicking,” he added.
Brooks entered ONE with a bang by finishing Pacio’s teammate, Lito “Thunder Kid” Adiwang, with a second-round submission in November 2021.
He followed it up with a unanimous decision over number threeranked Hiroba Minowa and a rear naked choke against erstwhile unbeaten number two-ranked Bokang Masunyane.
This paved the way for his title clash with Pacio.
The Filipino champion is on a roll, too.
Pacio won back the strawweight strap by knocking out Yosuke Saruta during their rematch in 2019. He later submitted fellow Pinoy Rene Catalan with an arm-triangle choke, then hammered out a split decision against former champion Alex Silva.
Pacio capped his trilogy with Saruta via another knockout in 2021.
Still, Brooks believes he will come out victorious against the Filipino champion.
“I think I’m all around just way better than him. I’m way more athletic, I hit harder, I’m better looking,” he quipped.
“I think he will try to catch me with knees coming in, elbows coming in. He will try to be a little bit shorter. I’m going to use that to my advantage and show that I’m more than a wrestler and jiujitsu practitioner,” he added.