Jarred Brooks, a former UFC contender and ONE Championship titleholder, recently faced a significant and brutal setback in his combat sports career. Despite previously achieving notable success after his departure from the UFC, including securing the ONE strawweight championship, Brooks has now entered a challenging phase.
Ex-UFC Fighter Jarred Brooks Viciously Submitted at ONE Fight Night 36
His most recent bout proved particularly harsh. At Friday`s ONE Championship event in Bangkok, Thailand, Brooks was viciously submitted by Mansur Malachiev, a formidable 14-1 Russian fighter. Malachiev, who boasts a strong wrestling background from Dagestan and previously held gold under Khabib Nurmagomedov’s Eagle FC banner, applied a rare north-south choke, rendering Brooks unconscious in the second round.
This loss marks Brooks` third consecutive defeat, his longest losing streak across his 28-fight career. This contrasts sharply with his earlier career trajectory. After a 2-2 run in the Octagon, which included a split decision against former two-time UFC champion Deiveson Figueiredo, Brooks signed with ONE Championship and achieved a flawless ascent to the strawweight (125 pounds) belt.
However, since Brooks defeated Joshua Pacio at ONE 164 in December 2022, `The Monkey God` has encountered difficulties. He lost his title via disqualification following an illegal slam against Pacio in their rematch, then claimed the interim ONE strawweight strap by defeating Gustavo Balart. But after failing to repeat his initial success against Pacio in their trilogy fight, the American has dropped two more bouts, leading to his current winless streak.
Jarred Brooks Once Claimed Superior BJJ to UFC GOAT Demetrious Johnson
This recent result in Bangkok leaves Brooks winless in his last three fights, and his current ONE form is a far cry from the successful run that once led him to set his sights on a UFC legend. Brooks had previously called out Demetrious Johnson after his UFC release in 2018. When both fighters later joined ONE Championship and surged to championship gold, `The Monkey God` once again targeted the flyweight legend.
In 2022, Brooks told the South China Morning Post: “I’m stronger than Demetrious, and I’m faster than Demetrious. Meeting Demetrious for the first time was absolutely insane because I thought Demetrious was taller than me. But I’m taller than Demetrious and that’s really weird to me. But he has a really big arm. He can stretch his arms really, really high, so it doesn’t matter on the reach.”
Brooks continued, asserting his belief in his grappling prowess: “I think my wrestling goes beyond his. I think my jiu-jitsu strength goes beyond his jiu-jitsu capabilities.” He confidently stated, “But yeah, I think that Demetrious and I would go a hard five rounds.” Brooks even challenged Johnson for both MMA and submission grappling, convinced he could compete with the legend in both disciplines. The recent series of defeats, especially the brutal submission, highlights a challenging period for the fighter who once held such high aspirations.
