Jacob Smith is underway with preparations for the biggest fight of his career on his return to Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
The Brit has fought in some high-profile matchups in the past but nothing comes close to his next test at ONE 169 on Nov. 8.
In a rematch, he will challenge Rodtang Jitmuangnon for the ONE flyweight Muay Thai world championship.
Many fans were surprised to see this matchup come together as the next opponent for 'The Iron Man'. Smith is coming off a loss to the Thai superstar's last opponent, Denis Puric, who he dealt with in a kickboxing bout at ONE 167.
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However, the Brit is extremely confident and passionate about the fact that he believes he beat Puric on that night and should've got the next shot at the champion as a result.
In an interview with Combat Sports Today, the challenger spoke about how he's blocking out any outside noise about the fight or his title shot in order to focus on the task at hand:
"F**k the haters and the people that are talking negative. It's just all about what I believe in and what my coaches believe in me."
Watch the full interview below:
Jacob Smith isn't concerned with what people think
Many may point to the upcoming rematch with Jacob Smith and Rodtang and question why it needs to happen after the way the first fight played out.
Well, ask Jacob Smith and you'll see why he's so eager to run this one back after admitting where he went wrong on his ONE Championship debut.
His toughness was enough to see him through the rounds against Rodtang but the fight wasn't overly competitive.
The challenger is confident that this will not be the case on Nov. 8 after the changes and improvements he has made over the past two and a half years.