“Every single aspect covered” - Jacob Smith looking leaner and meaner ahead of world title challenge against Rodtang at ONE 169
Jacob Smith already looks to be in peak form almost two weeks before the biggest fight of his career.
The British slugger will challenge Rodtang for the ONE flyweight Muay Thai world title in the co-main event of the stacked ONE 169 card on Nov. 8 at the historic Lumpinee Stadium.
Taking to Instagram, Smith shared his progress in his training camp under the watchful eye of famed coach John Gillies in Liverpool.
Jacob Smith wrote he worked on every aspect of Muay Thai in hopes of dethroning the mighty Rodtang of the ONE flyweight Muay Thai world championship in Bangkok.
He posted:
"End of the last round in the trenches with the big dog @johngillies123. It’s not always looking good with perfect technique, sometimes it’s just about hard f****** work and champions find that bit more when the tanks empty."
Smith added:
"Every single aspect covered, two weeks there will be a new king 👑."
While this is the first time Smith contends for a piece of ONE Championship gold, his upcoming showdown against Rodtang would be the second time he faces the Thai megastar in the promotion.
Smith made his promotional debut at ONE 157 against Rodtang in the ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Grand Prix quarterfinals.
Despite bringing the fight to Rodtang in their Singapore matchup, Smith succumbed under 'The Iron Man's' technical brilliance and lost via unanimous decision.
Smith now plans to erase that bitter memory and potentially climb to the top of the Muay Thai world.
ONE 169 is available live and free to all Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.
Jacob Smith says he'll be more controlled when he faces Rodtang for the second time at ONE 169
Jacob Smith knew he was far too reckless when he first faced Rodtang in his debut for ONE Championship in May 2022.
The 32-year-old said he let his emotions take over him, leading to a humbling unanimous decision loss against the Thai megastar.
In an interview with ONE Championship, Smith said:
"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."