“You have to protect that eye” - Jacob Smith admits brutal cut made it hard to mount a comeback against Rodtang

Jacob Smith revealed he struggled "to engage" with Rodtang Jitmuangnon during their second fight.

In May 2022, Smith made his ONE Championship debut and challenged Rodtang for his flyweight Muay Thai world title. The U.K. superstar came up short in his pursuit of greatness and suffered a unanimous decision defeat.

On Nov. 8, Smith had another opportunity when he faced Rodtang in a rematch at ONE 169. Smith was the only one eligible to become the flyweight Muay Thai king, as Rodtang vacated the title due to missing weight.

Despite the setback, Rodtang dominated Smith throughout the five-round contest, emerging victorious by unanimous decision once again.

Following the disappointing defeat, Smith appeared in an interview with the Bangkok Post. The 32-year-old had this to say about struggling to bounce back after 'The Iron Man' inflicted severe damage to his eye during the fight:

“From that point on, it was so hard to engage and do what I needed to do, because the referee and the cutman in-between rounds were telling me, ‘You have to protect that eye, otherwise the fight is going to stop’."

The full replay of ONE 169: Malykhin vs Reug Reug, including Rodtang's unanimous decision win against Jacob Smith, is available on demand for Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.

---

Jacob Smith gained invaluable experience from fighting Rodtang twice

Jacob Smith has fought in ONE Championship four times. Besides his two fights against Rodtang, Smith also faced Walter Goncalves (first-round knockout win) and Denis Puric (unanimous decision loss).

Smith is undoubtedly disappointed he lost his two opportunities to become the flyweight Muay Thai world champion. With that said, the U.K. superstar does have a positive to take away, as ten rounds against 'The Iron Man' can help any fighter evolve their overall skillset.

At 32 years old, Smith has time to bounce back for another chance to claim ONE gold. It'll be intriguing to see who he will face next following ONE 169.

As for Rodtang, the Thai megastar is poised for a kickboxing super-fight against Takeru Segawa before focusing on regaining the ONE flyweight Muay Thai strap.