Bellator's Brooks has two families firmly in his corner
Every time Bellator MMA interim lightweight champion Will Brooks gets ready for a fight, he gets an earful from his family.
"They almost know more about this sport than I do at this point," Brooks, 28, told USA TODAY Sports. "You would think they were pro fighters."
Brooks, a Chicago native, has two families supporting him. He says he was taken in by a friend's family during high school after an altercation with his father.
He reconciled with his biological parents after college, but remains close to the people he considers his step family.
After Brooks' first win in Bellator, his stepfather charged through security and hugged him cageside. Even before the biggest win of his career, an upset of Michael Chandler (12-2 mixed martial arts, 9-2 Bellator MMA) six months ago for the interim belt, Brooks (14-1, 6-1) was getting pointers from both dads.
For his rematch with Chandler, which is the co-main event of Saturday's Bellator 131 at Valley View Casino Center in San Diego (Spike TV, 9 p.m. ET), Brooks said he'd gotten more advice than usual. (The light heavyweight main event features Tito Ortiz and Stephan Bonnar.)
"My mom, she's a strategist now," Brooks said. "They feel like they're going out there with me, so they do their part in scouting and watching tape."
Brooks' corner knows what's at stake. Chandler, 28, was the champion and face of Bellator's lightweight division for nearly two years before he was defeated in a rematch with Eddie Alvarez. The two were scheduled for a rubber match in May when Alvarez withdrew with an injury. Brooks stepped in on short notice to beat Chandler.
Now that Alvarez is in the UFC, the winner of Saturday's bout is poised to become Bellator's undisputed champ and marquee lightweight.
When Brooks fought Chandler, "it was like the Rocky story," said Scott Coker, Bellator's new president. "Here's a kid that a lot of people didn't give a chance to even compete, let alone win. Chandler's going to come prepared for the rematch, so let's see what happens."
It's all of the sport's variables that keep Brooks' family talking.
"Part of it is just trying to make sure I'm 100 percent ready and I'm going to be safe, or as safe as I could possibly be with four-ounce gloves and guys trying to break my face," he said.
When he meets Chandler this time, Brooks will have one member of his clan with him in spirit. The woman he considered his stepmom, Lori Jakolat, known as Mama J, died of cancer in 2011.
Brooks said while his two families are getting used to the idea of sharing him, everyone gets together for Thanksgiving and Christmas.
He's not sure what his relatives can teach him about a jumping knee or an armbar, but he does take some of their advice when he goes to work.
"The one thing that's been a connection between the two is the idea of hard work and being dedicated to what you do," Brooks said.