Jacob Smith admits he was taken aback by Rodtang's destructive power in four-ounce gloves: "The best of the best"

Jacob Smith has been remarkably open about his struggles in his ONE Championship debut at ONE 157 in May 2022.

The British striking specialist put on a valiant effort against ONE flyweight Muay Thai world champion Rodtang Jitmuangnon in the quarterfinal of the ONE Flyweight Muay Thai Grand Prix Championship, but ultimately fell short.

In an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda MMA, the Liverpool native looked back on his initial performance against Rodtang:

"I didn't really know what to expect with the gloves, the level of opponent as well. Obviously, the best of the best."

After a heartbreaking defeat to 'The Iron Man,' Smith responded with a first-round knockout of the hard-hitting Walter Goncalves in the final month of 2023.

The Bad Company and Thaifist athlete produced another strong effort against Denis Puric this past April but lost by unanimous decision.

For his next assignment, Jacob Smith will be able to right his wrongs in his first matchup with Rodtang as he attempts to dethrone 'The Iron Man' for the ONE flyweight Muay Thai world championship at ONE 169: Atlanta on Nov. 8 inside the State Farm Arena.

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Jacob Smith makes his case as to why he deserved to run things back with Rodtang

Jacob Smith believes that his outing against Denis Puric was his demo reel for him to book his spot as Rodtang's challenger for the ONE flyweight Muay Thai world championship at ONE 169: Atlanta on Nov. 8 inside the State Farm Arena.

Speaking with Sportskeeda MMA, the No.3-ranked flyweight Muay Thai competitor said:

"I felt after the controversy in my last fight against Denis [Puric], I felt few things weren't very fair, but at the end of the day, we're all human. We all make little errors here and there."

Tickets for ONE 169: Atlanta are available via Ticketmaster.