The No. 3-ranked flyweight Muay Thai contender challenges Rodtang for divisional gold on Saturday, November 9 at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, and he feels like he has something to prove.
Smith fell to a unanimous decision loss in their initial encounter at ONE 157 in May 2022. Though he doesn’t blame any one thing, the Brit openly admits he had a lot on his mind that fateful evening.
“I’m not going to make any excuses about it. I don’t personally think I could’ve done any more on that day. Don’t forget, this was two years ago. It was my first fight in ONE Championship. It was my first fight in four-ounce gloves,” Smith said.
“Not only was it my first fight at the highest level, it was against the most elite Muay Thai fighter you can get, so it was tough.”
Smith has returned to the ONE Championship stage twice since ONE 157. The first time around, he scored a highlight-reel knockout win against Walter Goncalves at ONE Fight Night 21 last December.
Unfortunately, when he returned last April, the Brikenhead-based brawler couldn’t add to that momentum. He lost out via a controversial decision call against Bosnian-Canadian star Denis Puric.
Nonetheless, Smith believes his talents have progressed steadily. And now that he’s settled into life in ONE, the 32-year-old feels well-equipped to defeat Rodtang at ONE 169.
“I can do everything better now. I’m better in every way. I’m as tough as I always have been, but my fight IQ is better, and my overall skills have improved tenfold,” Smith said.
“On top of that, I’ve had a lot more activity in ONE since then. I’ve been in there several times now, so I’m much more used to it, and I’m ready for this.”
