Jacob Smith focused more on his strengths instead of Rodtang's flaws for ONE 169 redo: "It is irrelevant to me"
Jacob Smith is looking to put all of his energy into himself ahead of the biggest fight of his career at ONE 168.
The third-ranked flyweight Muay Thai contender believes that focusing on being the best version of himself is more important than worrying about what his opponent will do.
Fortunately, on Nov. 8 at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, he faces a challenge that he has met face-to-face once before.
Smith is preparing for a huge rematch with Rodtang Jitmuangnon, where the Thai superstar's ONE flyweight Muay Thai world championship will be on the line.
The pair first collided back in 2022 on Smith's ONE Championship debut. In his opinion, he got the best version of the Thai superstar.
Though Rodtang has been involved in some chaotic fights in recent years, Jacob Smith believes that his opponent showed him respect when they first traded strikes.
Ahead of the rematch, the challenger told the South China Morning Post that his mindset has been entirely focused on himself:
"I'm not relying on holes in his game or the mistakes he makes. I just need to be the best me and do what I need to do and my plan regardless of what he does, as it is irrelevant to me."
Watch the full interview below:
Jacob Smith is ready for the best Rodtang
The reason that Jacob Smith isn't looking to exploit holes or mistakes in the game of his opponent is that he believes, on Nov. 8, he will face the best version of Rodtang once again.
He doesn't think that the world champion will fight recklessly against him and knows that when 'The Iron Man' is at his best, he's one of the best strikers in the world.
Being the vest version of Jacob Smith that we have seen to date will be crucial at ONE 169 if he's going to secure revenge and the world championship.
ONE 169 will be available to active Amazon Prime Video subscribers in North America live in U.S. primetime this Friday, Nov. 8.