Jacob Smith is the first to admit he was dominated by Rodtang “The Iron Man” Jitmuangnon in their first encounter – but he promises their rematch will look very different.
The British star will challenge Rodtang for the ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Title at ONE 169: Malykhin vs. Reug Reug in U.S. primetime on Friday, November 8, and he expects to showcase massive improvements from his promotional debut back in May 2022.
Smith has since delivered some exciting performances to earn the #3 ranking in the division, using the lessons from his defeat to “The Iron Man” as fuel.
He spoke to onefc.com about that eye-opening experience:
“It was an easy win for him last time. I didn’t quite understand how good he was until I got in there with him. He was a step or two ahead of me throughout it all. It’s as simple as that.
“I’m not going to make any excuses about it. I don’t personally think I could’ve done any more on that day. Don’t forget, this was two years ago. It was my first fight in ONE Championship. It was my first fight in 4-ounce gloves.
“Not only was it my first fight at the highest level, it was against the most elite Muay Thai fighter you can get, so it was tough.”
Despite his loss, Smith earned a lot of new fans thanks to his incredible show of heart in the face of Rodtang’s relentless offense – but it made him realize what was needed to reach the top.
The 32-year-old is now focused on taking his overall skill set to the next level. While his physical and mental attributes were enough against prior opponents, he knows he must be smarter and more technical to make waves against the very best:
“We have both evolved and improved since then. Back then, I was just relying on how tough I was, standing and trading with him, which fell right into his trap.
“I don’t want to go too much into detail, but I’ve taken many things from that fight and implemented it into my style now and moving forward. This is why I don’t just feel like I’m going to have more success with him this time – I feel like I’m going to beat him this time.”
With two-and-a-half years to work on his craft and gain valuable ring time on the global stage, Smith is convinced that he can silence the critics who assume it will be a similar result at ONE 169.
He added:
“I can do everything better now. I’m better in every way. I’m as tough as I always have been, but my fight IQ is better and my overall skills have improved tenfold.
“On top of that, I’ve had a lot more activity in ONE since then. I’ve been in there several times now, so I’m much more used to it, and I’m ready for this.
“All I’m going to say on that is that you can expect to see the same rough, tough Jacob Smith, with better fight IQ and more control of my emotions.”
Jacob Smith Fighting To Change His Family’s Lives
Jacob Smith defines himself as two key things: a fighter and a family man.
His life is geared around those obligations, and they give him all the motivation he needs for an inevitable firefight against Rodtang Jitmuangnon.
Winning the ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Title at ONE 169 would be an incredible moment for Smith, especially because of how it would impact his family’s future.
He explained:
“Whether I’m fighting for a McDonald’s Happy Meal or whether I’m fighting for the ONE Championship World Title is irrelevant. I get up in the morning because I’m a fighter and because I want to win every fight I’m in.
“The fight itself, to accomplish gaining the World Title, is unbelievable. It could change my children’s lives. It’s what I wake up every day thinking about. But it doesn’t change how hard I train. I train as hard as I can no matter what’s in front of me.”
Smith knows he’s in for a hard fight against one of the best strikers on the planet, so he’s not going to predict any kind of blowout against Rodtang.
However, he is positive about the strides he’s made and truly believes they will help him engineer a career-defining victory.
He can only envision himself leaving Lumpinee Stadium with the strap, and he’ll do everything he can to make it happen:
“Let’s just see how the fight plays out. I feel like five rounds favors me. I’m very fit, and I always come on strong towards the later rounds. I’m sure Rodtang is the same, but all I know is I’m going into this fight to win, 100 percent.
“How that comes, who knows. If I see an opening, then I’m going to go for it. But if not, I’m going to stick to the plan and get the job done.”
