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Jarred Brooks’ disqualification for illegal slam damaged ONE Championship reputation

  • American will be back in action at ONE Fight Night 24 next month with a bout against Gustavo Balart in Bangkok

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Jarred Brooks is looking to repair his damage reputation after being disqualified at ONE 166 for an illegal suplex. Photo: ONE Championship

Jarred Brooks’ reputation is in tatters after his disqualification for an illegal slam on Joshua Pacio at ONE 166 saw him lose his strawweight title belt.

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Brooks spiked the Filipino’s head using a suplex – a technique which is specifically forbidden under the ruleset – which ended the bout in Qatar.

With Pacio still out injured, Brooks will face Gustavo Balart at ONE Fight Night 24 next month, with the interim title on the line.

But the American knows he still has a long way to go to undo the damage caused by his actions.

“I let down the ONE Championship team, I think of them as like a family,” Brooks told the Post. “It was a big kick in the a** but it gave me motivation and changed how I think and how I go about this fight game.”

Jarred Brooks is looking to win back the strawwright belt on an interim basis against Gustavo Balart. Photo: ONE Championship
Jarred Brooks is looking to win back the strawwright belt on an interim basis against Gustavo Balart. Photo: ONE Championship

Brooks has only tasted defeat three times with the loss before his disqualification against Pacio also coming in peculiar circumstances as, in 2018, he somehow managed to knock himself out while slamming Jose Torres into the canvas at UFC Fight Night 131.

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