"I've taken many things from that fight" - Jacob Smith using lessons from Rodtang defeat to spur him to success at ONE 169

In his return to action at ONE 169, the emphasis is on Jacob Smith to subvert expectations for a massive fight.

The Brit has been in some high pressure situations in the past but this next task may be the biggest of his career to date.

On Nov. 8, he returns to Lumpinee Stadium to challenge Rodtang Jitmuangnon for the ONE flyweight Muay Thai world championship.

The two men first met back in May of 2022 when Smith entered the promotion for his ONE Championship debut. Though his display of resilience certainly endeared him to the fans, the fight wasn't overly competitive across the three round duration.

Heading into the rematch, Smith is confident that this one will be different based on some of the changes he has made over the past two and a half years.

He spoke about his approach for this huge title fight rematch during a recent interview with Combat Sports Today:

"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."

Watch the full interview below:

---

Jacob Smith looking to put Rodtang to the test

Jacob Smith isn't listening to any of the outside voices that have criticized this fight or his world championship opportunity.

He knows how far he's come since his first encounter with 'The Iron Man' and that gives him the confidence that he may be lacked the first time around.

It's an incredibly tough task to debut in ONE and face off with the biggest star in the sport right off the bat.

Now that he's had time to settle and improve after coming up short the first time around, Smith believes he has made the right adjustments but there's only one way to find out.