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British striker Jacob Smith is excited to see Muay Thai fighters from the United Kingdom flourishing in ONE Championship. He said it bodes well not only for the athletes but also fans back home.
The 32-year-old Bad Company standout spoke about it in an interview with the South China Morning Post ahead of his scheduled title bid against ONE flyweight Muay Thai world champion Rodtang Jitmuangnon on Nov. 8 at ONE 169: Malykhin vs. 'Reug Reug' at the Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
Smith highlighted the immense number of top U.K. Muay Thai fighters now in ONE, saying:
"It's extremely exciting. It's the most exciting time in U.K. Muay Thai, period, I would say. The fighters we have now are absolutely unbelievable."
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Watch the interview below:
Apart from Jacob Smith, other notable ONE Muay Thai fighters from the U.K. whom fans are rallying behind are former champion Jonathan Haggerty and Nico Carrillo.
Jacob Smith out to add on U.K. weight in ONE by becoming world champion in upcoming fight
Jacob Smith is looking to banner the United Kingdom and add on its growing weight in ONE Championship by becoming a world champion at his upcoming title fight at ONE 169 on Nov. 8 in Thailand.
The Englishman will try to seize the ONE flyweight Muay Thai world title from longtime champion Rodtang Jitmuangnon. It is part of the stacked event which will be aired live and for free in U.S. primetime to North American fans with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.
The Rodtang-Smith showdown is actually a rematch of their first encounter in May 2022 in a ONE flyweight Muay Thai world grand prix quarterfinal match, where the Thai superstar won by unanimous decision.
Smith has vowed to come up with a better performance in their reengagement and sustain the siginificant strides that U.K. fighters have made in the 'Home of Martial Arts'.
Out to frustrate him is Rodtang, who will be making his sixth defense of the world title he has been holding since August 2019.
