"You will not find success like Liverpool did" - Football rivalry adds fuel to Rodtang-Jacob Smith heat at ONE 169

ONE star Rodtang Jitmuangnon and Jacob Smith traded barbs involving their favorite football clubs ahead of their bout at ONE 169: Malykhin vs. 'Reug Reug' on Friday, Nov. 8, inside the Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

During the pre-fight press conference's question-and-answer portion, Smith praised his hometown club, Liverpool:

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"Best team in the world right now. By far."

When Rodtang, who supports Manchester United, was asked how he felt about Smith's undying love for Liverpool, 'The Iron Man' said:

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"Yes, I know that he's a Liverpool fan, but what I really want to let him know is that you will not find success like Liverpool did this Saturday."

Smith nonchalantly responded:

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"I will."

Watch their entire interaction below, starting at the 25:25 mark:

Smith and Rodtang have a history with one another, much like the English Premier League giants.

At ONE 157 in May 2022, Rodtang welcomed Smith to ONE with a three-round beatdown during their quarterfinal matchup in the ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Grand Prix.

Smith bounced back from the defeat with a first-round knockout of Brazilian stalwart Walter Goncalves in December 2023 to secure his shot at 26 pounds of ONE gold.

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Rodtang not looking past Jacob Smith clash

Rodtang is not allowing himself to be distracted by future potential megafights with Japanese kickboxing star Takeru Segawa and recently crowned ONE double-champ Superlek Kiatmoo9 ahead of his second dance with Jacob Smith.

Speaking exclusively with Sportskeeda MMA, Rodtang shared:

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"I'd like to focus on one fight at a time. I'd like to focus on this fight first, then I can slowly plan the next step."

ONE 169 will air live and free to all Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.

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