Jacob Smith says focus is strictly on fighting Rodtang, not the reward that comes with it: "The fight itself is a big deal"

Jacob Smith is relying on his professionalism to make sure that he generates as much excitement for his fight as possible at ONE 169.

The 32-year-old Englishman is making his anticipated return to Thailand on Nov. 8, to challenge Rodtang Jitmuangnon for the ONE flyweight Muay Thai world title.

Both men are expected to bring their specific skills to the table as we once saw in their violent brawl in May 2022 at ONE 157. Although Rodtang and Smith are familiar with each other, this rematch feels a whole lot different than before.

With more time and money invested into making this world title fight into a brawl, Smith assures the fans that it's also about maintaining the integrity of the sport as a whole:

"The fight itself is a big deal. There's no point in looking at their stardom and looking at X amount of money and a pay rise and all this and that, which will be fantastic, but let's just go down and concentrate on getting the work done."

Watch Jacob Smith take on the daunting task of fighting 'The Iron Man' for his belt live at the Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, on Nov. 8, via Amazon Prime Video in North America.

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Jacob Smith recalls his first showdown with Rodtang as "my first fight at the highest level"

Jacob Smith always feels a sense of pride at having fought the biggest superstar in ONE Championship in his debut fight.

At the time, the British star wasn't a well-known fighter in Thailand. He did extremely well for himself in his home country and became a British Muay Thai champion, but that was the extent of our knowledge of Smith.

In contrast, Rodtang was one of the biggest stars under the promotion. Well known for his indestructible chin and warrior spirit, he scared off a lot of guys in the division, except Smith.

So, although he was outmatched, the young Brit gives himself a lot of slack for fighting a guy that everybody feared:

"Not only was it my first fight at the highest level, it was against the most elite Muay Thai fighter you can get, so it was tough."