"It's gonna be a lot different" - Jacob Smith insists he's a completely different beast heading into Rodtang re-do
Jacob Smith believes that he has a lot to prove heading into the biggest fight and spotlight of his career to date.
The Brit has become a staple of ONE Championship's flyweight Muay Thai division during his three-fight run in the promotion.
Smith's introduction to ONE fans was a cruel awakening for him after he drew Rodtang Jitmuangnon as his first opponent.
He was convincingly beaten on that night back in 2022 and by his own admission, didn't deliver the performance that he believes he is capable of.
What he did was show the fans his fighting spirit by making it to the final bell by overcoming plenty of adversity in the fight.
At ONE 169 on one of the biggest cards of the year, he gets his shot at redemption as Smith and 'The Iron Man' run it back in Atlanta.
In an interview with Sportskeeda MMA in the build-up to November 8 at the State Farm Arena, the flyweight Muay Thai title challenger spoke about how he believes his experience in the promotion will make a difference:
"Now, I've got four fights in ONE Championship, four fights at that level. And yeah, I feel this time around, it's gonna be a lot different."
Jacob Smith can take lessons from the first fight
Jacob Smith is sure to have his own ideas about what went wrong for him in the first fight.
Potentially, the experience of jumping right in at the deep end on his ONE Championship debut meant that he was fighting with his back against the wall from the very start.
However, after going three rounds with the flyweight champion, he knows what to expect from the Thai superstar.
You don't always get the opportunity to make it right in combat sports, especially against the biggest name out there but that's exactly what Smith has on his hands.
Tickets for ONE 169: Atlanta are available here via Ticketmaster.