American star Jarred Brooks says Hindu deity Hanuman has “been a huge influence” on his spiritual nickname

Have you ever wondered why ONE strawweight MMA world champion Jarred Brooks is known as ‘The Monkey God’?

During a recent Reddit AMA (Ask Me Anything), Brooks was asked where his incredibly unique nickname came from. As it turns out, the name is derived from Hanuman, a deity worshipped in Hindu culture, known for his unwavering devotion to Lord Rama.

“If you watch me fight I feel like my characteristics match very well to Hanuman, been a huge influence in my manifestation on what type of fighter and person I want to be,” Brooks replied. “And I am the mother f*cking monkey god that’s it!”

On Friday, March 1, Jarred Brooks will return to the Circle when ONE Championship makes its highly anticipated debut at the Lusail Sports Arena in Qatar for ONE 166. ‘The Monkey God’ is expected to put his title on the line against the man he took it from, Joshua Pacio, in one of three epic title tilts.

Jarred Brooks is all set to prove a point in rematch with Joshua Pacio

The last time fans saw Jarred Brooks inside the circle, he scored a dominant decision victory over Joshua Pacio to claim the strawweight strap. On Friday, he’ll look to deliver a repeat performance and show the world that he is one of the best pound-for-pound fighters on the planet.

“So excited about this fight I want to prove that I am the real world champion and show I will be at the top for a long time,” Brooks wrote on Instagram.

Will ‘The Monkey God’ score a second-straight win over ‘The Passion,’ or will Joshua Pacio live up to his reputation as the ‘Rematch King’ come fight night?

Amazon Prime Video subscribers in North America can catch all the action at ONE 166: Qatar live and for free on Friday, March 1st.