Jarred Brooks not bothered by hostile crowd; Joshua Pacio banking on support of Pinoy fans

Jarred Brooks vowed that the thousands in attendance supporting ONE strawweight world champion Joshua Pacio will not affect his performance when they meet inside the cage at 164 on December 3 at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Brooks, the number one contender to the title and a former UFC fighter, knows all too well that the crowd would be rooting against him when he takes on the Team Lakay representative. The American, however, is laser-focused on getting the job done.

“It is not bothersome to me. If you already know what is going to happen and you already know how the fans are going to be, it is nothing new to me,” Brooks said in an interview on Sparring Sessions LIVE.

“I have dealt with hate my whole life. I think I am one of the most slept on flyweights and strawweights in the whole world. People have been hating on me my whole career so it is nothing new. I am going in there with earmuffs.”

Pacio, for his part, conceded that Brooks is not the type who would be swayed by the fans in attendance. Nevertheless, the last remaining Filipino combat sports world champion is looking forward to hearing the cheers from his countrymen when he puts his title on the next month.

“I am undefeated in my hometown and on December 3rd I would still be undefeated. To hear my countrymen shouting my name is additional motivation for me. They give me strength and at the end of the night my hands will be raised,” Pacio stated.

—JMB, GMA Integrated News