“Better fight IQ and more control of my emotions” - Jacob Smith says he’ll use lessons from Rodtang loss in ONE 169 rematch

Jacob Smith believes he's learned from the mistakes he made in his first meeting against ONE flyweight Muay Thai world champion Rodtang Jitmuangnon.

After coming up short against 'The Iron Man' in his promotional debut at ONE 157 in 2022, the Brit will get another crack at the Thai sensation when the two warriors tussle in one of four massive ONE world title tilts at ONE 169 on Friday, Nov. 8 inside the legendary Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

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The first time around, Smith suffered a brutal loss, getting cracked with a series of brutal elbow strikes en route to a decisive decision defeat against Rodtang.

Now, Smith has a little more experience under his belt and believes when he meets 'The Iron Man' for the second time, he'll have a stronger fight IQ and a better handle on his emotions mid-fight.

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“All I’m going to say on that is that you can expect to see the same rough, tough Jacob Smith, with better fight IQ and more control of my emotions,” Smith told ONE Championship during a recent interview.

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Jacob Smith refuses to predict anything other than a win against Rodtang

Going into ONE 169, Jacob Smith is more than confident in his ability to shock the world and unseat 'The Iron Man' from his flyweight Muay Thai throne.

However, don't expect him to make any crazy predictions ahead of their highly anticipated rematch.

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"Im not gonna say I'm gonna knock Rodtang out," he told Cageside Press. "Rodtang is Rodtang. He's 'The Iron Man.' I'm not gonna go in there and think, 'yes, I'm gonna knock you out.' All I know is, I'm gonna win the fight. How that happens? We have to see how the fight plays out."

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Fans in the United States and Canada can watch ONE 169: Malykhin vs. ‘Reug Reug’ live on Amazon Prime Video on Friday, Nov. 8 in U.S. primetime.

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