Jarred Brooks moves up to flyweight, faces Reece McLaren at ONE Fight Night 26  

The card for ONE Fight Night 26: Lee vs. Rasulov continues to evolve. In addition to many pivotal contests already announced, another high-stakes bout has entered the mix featuring Jarred Brooks.   

The ONE Interim Strawweight MMA World Champion will move up to flyweight to face #4-ranked divisional contender Reece McLaren on Friday, December 6, inside Bangkok, Thailand’s Lumpinee Stadium.  

Since MMA GOAT Demetrious Johnson retired and relinquished his flyweight MMA gold, a wealth of contenders has been looking to stake their claim as the next king. And Brooks wants to make his interests known.  

“The Monkey God” has dominated the strawweight realm. He went through all contenders before taking the crown from Joshua Pacio at ONE 164 in December 2022. He then departed with the strawweight throne earlier this year after a freak disqualification in a rematch with Pacio at ONE 166.  

But having earned the ONE Interim Strawweight MMA World Title versus Gustavo Balart this summer, the American now has eyes on a new division while he waits to unify belts with Pacio, who is currently recovering from an injury. 

That said, McLaren has been a mainstay of the flyweight bracket. And he knows that now is his best chance to seal an opportunity to vie for the vacant strap.  

The Australian standout outworked Hu Yong this past May at ONE Fight Night 22 to re-enter the ONE World Title conversation. 

Undoubtedly, Brooks will be the biggest test of his career and 16-fight tenure in ONE. But should he topple the strawweight star, “Lightning” could find himself vying to be the next man on the flyweight throne.  

Jarred Brooks seeks ONE World Title trilogy bout versus Pacio with win over Reece McLaren

Jarred Brooks may be moving up to flyweight, but that doesn’t mean he’s leaving the strawweight MMA realm behind.  

With reigning ONE Strawweight MMA World Champion Joshua Pacio recovering from a knee injury, Brooks wants to stay active. And he knows there’s no better way to remain on Pacio’s radar than to carry on his winning ways. 

More than that, gaining an opportunity to become a two-weight MMA king would make him an even bigger star as he continues looking ahead to a historic trilogy with Pacio when the Filipino superstar is fit for action in 2025.