“I thought it was poor” - Jacob Smith says Rodtang wasn’t in his best form in kickboxing duel against Denis Puric at ONE 167

Jacob Smith wasn't a big fan of Rodtang Jitmuangnon and Denis Puric's kickboxing slugfest at ONE 167 earlier this year.

Rodtang, the ONE flyweight Muay Thai world champion, faced off against Puric in a 141.25-pound catchweight kickboxing match in June at Impact Arena that fans and fighters deemed an instant classic.

The pair of strikers blew the roof off the Bangkok stadium in a performance still being discussed today, but Smith begged to differ.

In an interview with Violent Money TV, Smith said Rodtang and Puric looked sluggish during the fight and even described that the two weren't in their best forms.

Jacob Smith said:

"I thought it was poor. I thought it was poor for both of them, to be honest. But having said that, I know that Rodtang isn't going to fight me like that."

Nevertheless, Smith is confident the version of Rodtang that showed up against Puric won't be the same one he'll face at ONE 169.

Smith will challenge Rodtang for the ONE flyweight Muay Thai world title in the co-main event of the stacked ONE 169 card on November 8 at the historic Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok.

This will be the second time Smith takes on Rodtang in ONE Championship after his promotional debut at ONE 157 in May 2022 in Singapore.

Smith, now the number three-ranked flyweight Muay Thai contender, lost to Rodtang in his first match under the ONE Championship banner via unanimous decision.

Fans in the United States and Canada can catch Smith's world title challenge against Rodtang, and the entire ONE 169 card, live and for free via Prime Video.

Watch Smith's entire interview below:

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Jacob Smith plans to use the lessons from his defeat to Rodtang in world title rematch

Jacob Smith acknowledged that fighting Rodtang Jitmuangnon in his ONE Championship debut was a tall order.

It was a loss that would have put anyone down in the dumps, but Smith is confident he picked up valuable lessons from that defeat to use against Rodtang at ONE 169.

Smith said in an interview with Combat Sports Today that he's already incorporated those lessons into his game plan for the biggest fight of his career:

"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."