"He's probably going to underestimate me" - Jacob Smith says he is ready to shock the world in Rodtang fight

Jacob Smith is set to fight Muay Thai superstar Rodtang Jitmuangnon, and he says he is ready to shock the world. The British-born striker will be making his long-awaited ONE Championship debut at ONE 157.

Ahead of the bout, Smith is fully accepting and embracing the underdog role. On May 20, he has a huge task ahead of him in fighting Muay Thai world champion Rodtang.

Jacob Smith explained his attitude ahead of the almighty challenge in an interview with Vechtsport's Tim Wheaton.

"Obviously, he's probably, on paper, the favorite. Yeah, I'm ready to shock the world, mate. Obviously, I've got nothing to lose. I'm going in there, mate, to win, one-hundred percent. I think he's probably going to underestimate me, which is obviously going to work in my favor, so hopefully, he does."

Catch the full interview below:

Jacob Smith was originally scheduled to fight Superlek Kiatmuu9 in 2020, but the bout was canceled. Next, he was scheduled to face Rodtang in 2021, but that matchup was also scrapped.

Now, on May 20, he will be making his debut in the stacked and competitive ONE Muay Thai Flyweight Grand Prix. Smith said he cannot wait to get in the ONE circle for the very first time:

"[I feel] absolutely fantastic and I just can't wait to get on there and show the world what I can do."

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Jacob Smith wants ONE Championship in the UK

ONE Championship has a growing set of notable fighters from the UK. Athletes like Liam Harrison, Iman Barlow, Jacob Smith, Jonathan Haggerty and others have all made waves inside the circle.

Recently, Smith's training partner Liam Harrison has implored ONE CEO Chatri Sityodtong to bring the organization to the UK. Speaking to the South China Morning Post, Harrison said:

“If I win the fight, I get the belt, I’d like to defend it in the UK. I talked to Chatri about this and I said, ‘You need an excuse to bring ONE Championship to England, let me be that excuse. If I win that title let’s go fill out an arena in the UK.’”

Catch the full interview below:

Smith agrees that ONE in the UK would be amazing. He said:

"That would be sick! There's definitely enough fighters from the UK on ONE Championship to hold a show here in the UK. So Chatri, get a show on in the UK!"

The Englishman's journey in ONE Championship begins at ONE 157. Smith will look to be the victor in the Muay Thai Grand Prix, but standing in his way is champion Rodtang Jitmuangnon. Smith is looking to shock the world and we'll find out if he can on May 20.