Jarred Brooks Opens Up About Heated Flyweight Clash With Mansur Malachiev At ONE Fight Night 36

ONE Fight Night 36: The mind games have already begun, and former ONE Strawweight World Champion Jarred Brooks is ready to silence his persistent Russian challenger once and for all in a classic wrestler versus wrestler showdown.

Brooks will face Russian grappler Mansur Malachiev in a flyweight MMA contest at ONE Fight Night 36 on 4 October live from Bangkok, Thailand. This marks his second venture into the flyweight division.

The 32-year-old American has been dealing with constant psychological warfare from his opponent's camp for over a year. Despite the mental games, "The Monkey God" has been studying his opponent's approach and isn't impressed with what he's seen from the challenger's fighting style.

"The past year and a half, this guy's been sending me direct messages. He doesn't really understand English that much, but he's just trying to get into my head. His whole team has been sending me messages and all that stuff," Brooks said.

"I did mock his style a lot, though. He walks like a zombie, coming forward with his hands up. I'm not saying that the guy isn't good. He has the typical Dagestani style with dangerous spinning back kicks, and he has a dangerous hook."

Malachiev brings his own credentials to the bout with three ONE victories. The 33-year-old Russian made an impressive debut in June 2023 by finishing Jeremy Miado with his traditional Dagestani wrestling approach.

However, Brooks believes he has found the key to defeating his challenger. The #2-ranked strawweight MMA contender sees opportunities to capitalize when Malachiev is under pressure and has identified submission threats.

"I think that when pressure is being displayed upon him, he waits his turn, and I think that's where I can take advantage of a lot of the fight. He leaves his neck out because he is very 'guillotinable'," he said.

"I've done a lot of thought, done a lot of recreation of what I think the fight is going to be like. I think that this is a good new start for me, and I think that Mansur is a good test."