Jacob Smith says there was no shame in losing his ONE debut to Rodtang: "The most elite Muay Thai fighter"

Third-ranked ONE flyweight Muay Thai contender Jacob Smith has never been shy to admit that Rodtang Jitmuangnon was the better man when they first crossed swords back in 2022.

The heavy-handed Brit was thrown into the lion's den right away in his promotional debut at ONE 157, where he took on the Thai megastar in a three-round slugfest.

Despite 'The Iron Man's notorious reputation as an aggressive headhunter, Smith valiantly traded strikes for three exhilarating rounds of non-stop action.

Once the final bell rang, a bloodied-up Smith humbly accepted a unanimous decision defeat to the flyweight Muay Thai kingpin.

Recalling his first encounter with Rodtang in a ONE Championship interview, the 32-year-old said he had nothing to be ashamed about, considering he stood toe-to-toe with one of the best in the world.

“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.”

Rewatch Jacob Smith vs Rodtang I here:

Plus, Jacob Smith will soon have the opportunity to right that wrong at ONE 169: Malykhin vs. Reug Reug this coming Nov. 8 at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

The Birkenhead, England native will certainly carry the lessons from that first loss in his bid to end Rodtang's reign of terror in the flyweight Muay Thai division.

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Jacob Smith unbothered by critics claiming he doesn't deserve a title shot

Apart from his earlier defeat at the hands of Rodtang, Jacob Smith is also coming off a rather controversial loss to Denis Puric last April.

That said, some pundits are questioning whether the British fighter is the rightful contender for Iron Man's 26 pounds of gold.

Smith, however, won't let the outside noise diminish his warrior spirit. He told Combat Sports Today in a separate interview:

"The thing is with people online, they can talk and talk and talk. Not one of them has achieved a thing in their life. You just have to kind of blank that out."

ONE 169: Malykhin vs. Reug Reug will air live in US Primetime free of charge for Prime Video subscribers in North America