Jacob Smith refuses to give absurd guarantees ahead of ONE 169: "I'm not gonna say I'm gonna knock Rodtang out"

Jacob Smith believes it's absurd to guarantee a KO stoppage against a guy like Rodtang. The British superstar is en route to a massive rematch on Nov. 8 against dominant ONE flyweight Muay Thai king Rodtang Jitmuangnon.

Their world title rivalry will pick up just like it began two years ago when they first collided in a quaterfinal tie of the ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Grand Prix Championship. But with the world title directly on the line this time, Smith is adamant on becoming the new divisional king.

Although there are widespread doubts about him beating one of the most indestructable strikers on the planet, the 32-year-old Englishman doesn't deny the level of difficulty Rodtang brings to the table.

Speaking to Cageside Press, he said:

"Im not gonna say I'm gonna knock Rodtang out. Rodtang is Rodtang. He's 'The Iron Man.' I'm not gonna go in there and think, 'yes, I'm gonna knock you out.' All I know is, I'm gonna win the fight. How that happens? We have to see how the fight plays out."

Jacob Smith is one of the few people who stood his ground and fought with everything he had against Rodtang. Similar to his Thai rival, Smith is an exciting brawler who certainly possesses a formidable chin, and a dangerous arsenal of tricks and strikes.

With that in mind, there's no doubt that these two men will showcase some serious striking between them.

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"We have both evolved and improved since then" - Jacob Smith believes he's gotten smarter and more techincal since first match with Rodtang in 2022

Jacob Smith says he gotten a lot more tactical and strategic since his last megafight with Rodtang. It's tough to come back from a debut loss so early into a career, but Smith has carried himself like a professional amidst the adversity.

According to the Englishman, he's made the necessary adjustments to make this next rematch more difficult than anyone anticipates. He told ONE:

"We have both evolved and improved since then...Back then, I was just relying on how tough I was, standing and trading with him, which fell right into his trap."

ONE 169 airs live from Bangkok, Thailand, on Nov. 8 via Amazon Prime Video for North American subscribers.