ONE Championship: Jarred Brooks wants ‘dream’ fight with Demetrious Johnson, confident he would win
- Brooks will challenge Joshua Pacio for strawweight gold at ONE 164 on December 3 in Manila
- If victorious, he hopes to meet legendary Johnson, and is confident he would beat the flyweight MMA champ
Jarred Brooks is zeroed in on his title fight with ONE Championship strawweight king Joshua Pacio, but he is also looking to the future.
The American is hoping that, if he gets by Pacio, a fight with ONE flyweight champ and MMA legend Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson could be next.
“I would really just love a super fight with Demetrious Johnson,” the 29-year-old told the Post last week. “It doesn’t matter if it’s for a title. That’s just a dream come true at the end of the day, fighting somebody with the prowess of Demetrious.”
Johnson, 36, was last in action in the main event of ONE on Prime Video 1 on August 27 in Singapore, when he knocked out Brazil’s Adriano Moraes to win flyweight gold and avenge a 2021 knockout defeat by the same man.
Brooks was tuned in for that fight, and was very impressed by his fellow American’s performance.
“I was really rooting for Demetrious,” he said, looking back on the fight. “I thought he was in trouble at first.
“The way he finishes, you can never sleep on Demetrious Johnson. That just proves it.”
Despite the impressive performance Johnson (24-4-1) put forth against Moraes, Brooks (19-2) believes he has the flyweight champion beat in a few crucial areas, and that he would win their potential clash as a result.
“I’m stronger than Demetrious and I’m faster than Demetrious,” he said. “I think my wrestling goes beyond his. I think my jiu jitsu strength goes beyond his jiu jitsu capabilities.
“I rise to the occasion. If I’m going against somebody that’s really good, I’m either going to mirror and mimic them, or make them think that they’re not as good as they are. That’s what I’m really good at.”
ONE: Brooks warns champ Pacio ‘first round, it’s done’ in Manila
This is not the first time Brooks has expressed interest in fighting Johnson. Long before either man arrived in ONE, they shared space on the UFC’s flyweight roster, where Johnson was an 11-time defending champion.
The fight never materialised in the UFC Octagon, but Brooks is optimistic that it may yet occur in the ONE Circle.
“At the end of the day, I love Demetrious Johnson,” he said, crediting the former UFC champ for “paving the way” for his own career.
“Ten years I’ve been studying Demetrious Johnson. For that fight to happen would be crazy.”
Brooks will challenge Pacio for strawweight gold in the main event of ONE 164 on December 3 in Manila. He earned his title shot with wins in his first three ONE Championship appearances: a submission win over Lito Adiwang, a decision win over Hiroba Minowa, and another submission against Bokang Masunyane.
Before beating Moraes to win flyweight gold, Johnson defeated flyweight Muay Thai champ Rodtang Jitmuangnon by submission in a special rules contest at ONE X in March in Singapore. That win was preceded by his knockout loss to Moraes, which was considered one of the biggest upsets of 2021.
