“He didn’t fight me like that at all” - Jacob Smith surprised by Rodtang’s technical approach in their first match

Jacob Smith explained how Rodtang Jitmuangnon surprised him in their first fight with a more technical approach than he expected.

In May 2022, Smith made his ONE Championship debut against the promotion's biggest superstar, Rodtang. The British debutant took on the Thai superstar in the quarterfinal of the Flyweight Muay Thai World Grand Prix at ONE 157.

However, The Iron Man' shut him down with a dominant showing and took home the unanimous decision win.

Smith recently did an interview with ONE and discussed his promotional debut against Rodtang. The 32-year-old had this to say about being surprised that Rodtang utilized a more technical approach compared to his typical reckless style:

"And I was waiting for him to start fighting me the way he fights everyone else. The taunts and everything, but he didn’t. He didn’t fight me like that at all. He fought me at a much more technical rate, whereas I was expecting him to have it out for me and bang his gloves together, y’know, all the hits. But he didn’t do that to me."

Since losing against Rodtang, Jacob Smith has fought twice in ONE Championship against Walter Goncalves (first-round knockout win) and Denis Puric (unanimous decision loss). Smith now looks to kill two birds with one stone when he faces Rodtang in a rematch at ONE 169.

Watch the entire first fight between Smith and Rodtang below:

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Jacob Smith looks to secure a life-changing win in rematch against Rodtang

Jacob Smith has done a solid job of establishing a respectable fighting career. With that said, the 32-year-old has an opportunity to positively change his life at ONE 169, as a win against Thai megastar Rodtang would suddenly make him a world champion and significant superstar.

It'll be easier said than done for Smith, as only one fighter has defeated Rodtang in a ONE Championship Muay Thai bout, two-sport world champion Superlek Kiatmoo9. Only time will tell if the British title challenger can shock the world by pulling off the upset.

ONE 169 will feature three world title fights, including Rodtang vs. Smith, inside the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. Friday's event can be seen live and for free by North American and Canadian viewers with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.