"The belt will slip out of my hands" - Flyweight Muay Thai king Rodtang vows to have no more debacles on the scales

Rodtang Jitmuangnon was brought to tears the last time he graced the Circle.

What was supposed to be a triumphant return from injury at ONE 167 last June was marred by controversy after 'The Iron Man' missed weight in his victory over Denis Puric.

In his post-fight interview, a grief-stricken Rodtang apologized profusely to his fans and promised to do better in his next outing.

In a few weeks, the Thai megastar will showcase the hard work he's been putting onahead of his title defense against a familiar foe.

The flyweight Muay Thai world champion will defend his 26 pounds of gold against Jacob Smith at ONE 169 on Nov. 8, inside the iconic Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

In an interview with ONE, Rodtang once again owned up to his shortcomings and said he understands the consequences if he fails to uphold his promise.

“I will do anything to make sure that I don’t make the same mistake again because if I make another mistake, the belt will slip out of my hands.”

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

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Jacob Smith says beating Rodtang will be a 'life-changing' experience

After falling short against Rodtang when they first met a few years back, Jacob Smith is beyond grateful to get a shot at vengeance.

Moreover, his redemption bid is made much sweeter since he can also realize his dream of becoming a ONE world champion.

The British challenger told Sportskeeda MMA in an exclusive interview:

"To win the ONE world championship, it'll be something that I can't put into words, like what that would mean to me. It would be life-changing. Yeah, it'll certainly be life-changing."