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Three potential opponents for new ONE Strawweight World Champion Jarred Brooks

As the dust settles on the American's historic victory, we take a look at who might be first in line for a shot at the new ONE Strawweight World Champion.

Jarred Brooks

Singapore, December 11: ONE Championship superstar Jarred Brooks has gone from the hunter to the hunted at the Singapore-based organization.

"The Monkey God" climbed to the top of the strawweight mountain over the last year, then dethroned longtime divisional king Joshua Pacia in the main event of ONE 164: Pacio vs. Brooks on December 3.

Brooks showcased his fighting evolution by outstriking Pacio over five rounds en route to a unanimous decision win, which came in "The Passion's" backyard at the Mall of Asia Arena in Manila, Philippines, no less.

ONE 164 Results: Brooks defeats Pacio for ONE Strawweight World Title, Superlek edges PanpayakONE 164 Results: Brooks defeats Pacio for ONE Strawweight World Title, Superlek edges Panpayak

As the dust settles on the American's historic victory, we take a look at who might be first in line for a shot at the new ONE Strawweight World Champion.

Joshua Pacio

Few fans would complain if an immediate rematch between these two was ordered. Pacio was by no means out of his depth against Brooks, and the result was an enthralling spectacle that would certainly be worth revisiting.

Before his loss at ONE 164, the Filipino superstar had held the strawweight strap since 2019, and he defended it on three occasions over that time.

Given his long reign and the competitive nature of their recent title fight, Brooks vs. Pacio II could well be the logical way forward.

Gustavo Balart

Cuban wrestling standout Gustavo Balart has been on a tear in the Circle lately. He is now on a three-fight win streak, including a thrilling win over former two-time strawweight king Alex Silva at ONE 162 in October.

"El Gladiador" is now #4-ranked in the stacked division, and he could well use his momentum to secure a World Title shot.

Also, given the 35-year-old's outspoken nature, the ONE Championship brass could well be tempted to match him with the similarly brash-talking divisional king. The Brooks vs. Balart press conference would be worth the price of admission alone.

Trash-talk aside, the stylistic matchup is even more intriguing. Balart is a Pan-American Greco-Roman Wrestling Champion, and his grappling skills up against that of former US college wrestling state champion Brooks would be an epic battle.

Three fights we want to see post-ONE 164: Pacio vs. BrooksThree fights we want to see post-ONE 164: Pacio vs. Brooks

Jeremy Miado

Dangerous contender Jeremy Miado is shaping up as the dark horse of the strawweight division. "The Jaguar" is currently unranked but is riding a wave of momentum with four wins on the bounce, the latest of which being a dominant KO win over #5-ranked Australian Danial Williams in October.

Miado brings a fan-friendly style to the Circle and has a 100 percent finishing rate. The Filipino superstar has well over 80 fights in professional boxing and kickboxing to his name and would present another tough test to the much-improved striking skills of Brooks.

The 29-year-old doesn't know how to put on a boring fight, so a clash with "The Monkey God" for the World Title would be an explosive spectacle, to say the least.

Source: Media Release

Story first published: Sunday, December 11, 2022, 9:35 [IST]
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