Jacob Smith says focus is on beating Rodtang and the accolades will follow: "All of that can come"

British slugger Jacob Smith is dreaming of the moment he walks out of the Lumpinee Stadium as the ONE flyweight Muay Thai world champion. However, claiming the world title is not at the top of his priority list when he steps inside the iconic venue in Bangkok, Thailand on Nov. 8.

The Bad Company and Thaifist product has come a long way since suffering a defeat to Rodtang Jitmuangnon in his promotional bow in May 2022. Now, with a chance to exact revenge, the Englishman is eager to remind 'The Iron Man' that he isn't the same fighter he once beat.

As such, Smith told the South China Morning Post that he isn't too concerned about the glitter that will come with ending the Thai megastar's reign at the top of the division.

The first step to that dream is to make sure he can come out on top with a triumph in their hotly anticipated rematch. Jacob Smith shared:

"I'm gonna contradict myself a little bit here because I don't like to look too deep into the prize - as I'd like to call it - which is the belt, the money, this, that, the other things that come with it, becoming a star in the sport. I just need to beat them up, and then all of that can come."

Watch Jacob Smith's full interview here:

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Jacob Smith knows he's in a much better position to pull one back vs. Rodtang

Jacob Smith had a lot on his plate when he opened his ONE Championship account against arguably one of the finest strikers today.

The Muay Thai specialist had to familiarize himself with the ruleset and the four-ounce gloves, which meant a shift in tactics as opposed to the more traditional approach fighters take in 'The Art of Eight Limbs'.

The third-ranked flyweight Muay Thai contender told ONE Championship separately:

"I can't just stand in front of people in four-ounce gloves as much as I want to and love to. Secondly, I can't use the traditional long guard that's used in normal Muay Thai a lot. Fighting in these small gloves is worlds apart from fighting in eight-ounce gloves."

Though he was more or less handed a one-sided beatdown at the hands of Rodtang at ONE 157, Smith has adjusted well to the smaller mitts and the attack-only regulations in place in his fights against Walter Goncalves and Denis Puric.

Find out if Jacob Smith can pull off what could be the biggest upset of the year when he squares off against Rodtang at ONE 169, which will be available for free to active Amazon Prime Video subscribers in North America on Nov. 8.