Jacob Smith on why he wants to face 'the very best' Rodtang at ONE 169: "So there's no excuses when I beat him"
British striker Jacob Smith is never one to back down from a war, and the same can be said as he gears up for a potentially career-defining moment at ONE 169.
The Bad Company and Thaifist athlete is one victory away from laying his hands on the ONE flyweight Muay Thai world championship inside the Lumpinee Stadium on Nov. 8.
To do so, however, No.3-ranked Jacob Smith will need to find a way to overcome arguably the best strikers in the world today —Rodtang Jitmuangnon. For his part, the 32-year-old is game to achieve history. And he wants to do so by beating the very best version of 'The Iron Man' on fight night.
In a pre-fight exchange with the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the Englishman said:
"I'm prepared for the very best Rodtang. I'm expecting the very best Rodtang, so there's no excuses when I beat him."
Find out if he succeeds in his mission by tuning in to ONE 169, which will be available to active Amazon Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada this Friday, Nov. 8.
Watch his entire interview with SCMP here:
Jacob Smith says training Muay Thai is a key component of his daily life
It's not easy being a top athlete, but through sheer dedication and discipline, Jacob Smith finds himself on the brink of a career-defining moment.
Before he runs it back with Rodtang, Smith talked about how his life revolves around Muay Thai and how he hopes his kids and students can follow in his footsteps. He told Combat Sports Today:
"My gym is my life, mate. So obviously, I wake up in the morning, I go training, I do my own training, and then at Four Corners Gym in Liverpool, and then I'll come back, and I'll do my second session at my own gym, alongside teaching kids from age four right up to adults. It's literally what my whole life revolves around, not only Muay Thai, but my own gym, Thaifist."
He continued:
"And then obviously, five years, six years down the line when I retire, hopefully, I can get the guys in my gym on ONE Championship and things like that. That's the plan. My own two kids as well do it. Yeah, they love it. Yeah, it's just instilled into them."