Jacob Smith on Rodtang loss in 2022: "Life sometimes doesn't go to plan"
Jacob Smith has had no issues revisiting his previous setbacks to identify where he went wrong and what he could have done better. This has allowed the British martial artist to learn from his mistakes and come back stronger with more confidence in his skill set.
For Smith, correcting previous missteps is the key ingredient for his upcoming fight which will be the biggest of his career to date. At ONE 169 on Nov. 8, the Brit will challenge Rodtang Jitmuangnon for the ONE flyweight Muay Thai world championship.
The two men will clash for the second time under the ONE banner on one of the biggest cards of the year inside the iconic Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
In a recent interview with Combat Sports Today, Smith spoke about how he was able to put his previous defeat to the Thai superstar in the rearview mirror so that he can continue pushing forward.
Rather than being caught up on the loss, the challenger is grateful for the experience and will now look to let his actions do the talking in the rematch:
"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 the full interview below:
Jacob Smith is a different man coming into ONE 169
As Jacob Smith said himself, fighting Rodtang is the top target for most Muay Thai strikers in and around the flyweight division.
The fact that he secured a bout with 'The Iron Man' in his ONE Championship debut meant that there was a lot of pressure on his shoulders. For the rematch, Jacob Smith is confident that he will rise to the occasion in order to pull off the biggest victory of his career to date.