“I’m going to stick to the game plan” - Jacob Smith doesn’t want to get reckless in world title challenge against Rodtang
Jacob Smith knows getting reckless against Rodtang Jitmuangnon would all but spell disaster for him. The British slugger could claim the ONE flyweight Muay Thai world title when he challenges Rodtang for the gold in the co-main event of the stacked ONE 169 card on Nov. 8 at the iconic Lumpinee Stadium.
Smith has the chance to erase his painful loss to Rodtang two years ago and stake his claim at Muay Thai gold. In an interview with ONE Championship, he said he plans to stick to the offensive scheme that his team worked on heading into the match.
Smith added that he can't afford to lose focus and trade with Rodtang since a firefight against the flyweight Muay Thai king could quickly end his world title aspirations.
He said:
"How that comes, who knows. If I see an opening, then I’m going to go for it. But if not, I’m going to stick to the plan and get the job done.”
Smith made his ONE Championship debut at ONE 157 against Rodtang in the ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Grand Prix quarterfinals in May 2022.
Aware of the magnitude of his first match in ONE Championship, Smith tried to bring the fight to Rodtang, but was humbled by the Thai megastar.
Smith has since wisened up and claimed the number three spot in the flyweight Muay Thai contender rankings.
It'll certainly be interesting to see what kind of improvements Smith has made to his game and if it would be enough to stop Rodtang's perfect 6-0 record in world title matches in ONE Championship.
ONE 169 is available live and free to all Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.
Jacob Smith says he's grateful to have faced Rodtang in ONE Championship debut
While it wasn't the debut he dreamt of, Jacob Smith admits he's grateful to have faced Rodtang Jitmuangnon in his first fight for ONE Championship.
Smith said in an interview with Combat Sports Today that Rodtang was always the one fighter he envisioned fighting, even before joining ONE.
Despite the result of his promotional debut, Jacob Smith remained proud of how he fought Rodtang in Singapore. He said:
"Before I was even with ONE Championship, there were some guys local to me to that do a lot for Muay Thai called Fight Record. They've done an interview with me, like a mini-documentary. And they asked me, if there was one fighter on the planet you face, who would it be? My answer was Rodtang. And I got what I asked for. It didn't go to plan, but life sometimes doesn't go to plan. You have to adapt and overcome."
Watch Smith's entire interview below: