MMA News: Jared Brooks’ Dominant Debut And Other Takeaways From ONE: NextGen III

Singapore-based ONE Championship delivered another fight card that had massive implications going into 2022.

Here are some of the major takeaways.

Emilbek Uulu Should Be On Everyone’s Watch List

In the first round, Ruslan Emilbek Uulu stifled Pieter Buist’s strike-heavy offense by taking him down and advancing to advantageous positions on the ground, even threatening a potential submission via neck crank to close off the round.

However, the Kyrgyzstani opted to keep the fight standing in the second round which allowed Buist to get right back into the game.

Whether he was recovering his stamina or not is up for debate, but it was a surprising move nonetheless.

In the third, Emilbek Uulu lifted Buist and took him back down riding his strong grappling game to the victory.

"The Snow Leopard” got his first win in the promotion by defeating Buist, and MMA fans need to keep their eyes on him.

Alaverdi Ramazanov Has Eyes On Regaining His Title

Alaverdi Ramazanov showed he was still as dangerous as ever by knocking out Thailand’s Pongsiri PK.Saenchai Muaythaigym in the very first round of their Muay Thai bout.

Pongsiri rarely got any meaningful strikes in as Ramazanov was just that quick to fire, and his shots were perfectly placed, causing a knockdown off a flurry of strikes capped off with an uppercut.

The 31-year-old decorated Thai fighter tried to get his legs up under him but was clearly out of it as he slumped towards the cage and Olivier Coste calling off the fight.

This victory for the No. 5-ranked bantamweight Muay Thai fighter has put him squarely back into primetime contention as he aims for a title shot in 2022.

Jared Brooks Is The Real Deal

From the opening bell, Jared Brooks showed that his wrestling was far superior and took the fight immediately to the ground.

Brooks had full control of Team Lakay's Lito Adiwang on the mat and rained down strikes for most of the round before the Filipino got back to his feet but failed to capitalize in the last 40 seconds.

The story went pretty much the same in the second round, except Brooks was able to bring Adiwang back to the canvas with a strong double leg takedown before forcing “The Thunder Kid” to tap via an arm triangle.

Brooks’ victory over the No. 5-ranked strawweight will most likely see him be matched up with another ranked fighter before he gets a title shot against Adiwang's teammate Joshua Pacio.