"I’m not going back" - Jacob Smith talks leaving street life and entering ONE Championship

British Muay Thai striker Jacob Smith will be making his long-awaited ONE Championship debut at ONE 157. In the opening round of the ONE Muay Thai Flyweight Grand Prix on May 20, he will face Rodtang Jitmuangnon.

Currently, Smith is considered an impressive talent who is about to compete on the biggest stage in combat sports. However, it was a challenging path for him to get here. He grew up in a difficult neighborhood and was primarily raised by his father as his mother struggled with drug addiction.

In an interview with ONE Championship, he explained:

“My childhood was tough in stages. My mum was a drug addict, and she would come and go. She didn’t work. But my dad did his best and was always a good dad."

Despite a difficult upbringing, Jacob Smith had a promising future in football. At the age of 16, he decided to drop this pursuit. Smith was primarily concerned with spending time with his friends, all of whom had a rebellious streak in them:

“I was basically on the verge of signing a professional contract... I got sick and tired of it. One day, I stupidly just texted my dad and said, ‘Listen, dad, I’m not going back.’ That was just the kind of kid I was... I was a little [rebellious] when I was younger though. It’s just like that around my area. It’s rough and [rowdy], and if you’re not like that with the lads and getting up to whatever, then you don’t really have many friends because they’re all up to the same things.”

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Jacob Smith on turning to Muay Thai

Jacob Smith's wife, Rebekah, had been in Muay Thai since she was young. Eventually, she convinced Smith to join classes as well. He enjoyed the discipline but wasn't dedicated to it:

"I loved it. But I was still out and doing whatever else on the streets. I was just doing Thai boxing for fun, to keep fit, a bit of excitement... Rebekah gave me the ultimatum. Either carry on what I’m doing and she will leave me, or stop it all and take Thai boxing seriously to see how far I could go."

It was not until his first child, a daughter, was born that he made his decision and chose his path. Smith finally began to take Muay Thai seriously.

Thankfully, he made the right choice. He has committed his life to Muay Thai and his family. After successes in the UK and Europe, Smith is about to make his debut on the biggest stage in combat sports.

"I thought making money on the streets was going to be forever as a naive teenager. I would never have thought in a million years that I’d be fighting on the biggest platforms on the planet and being a role model for people."

Jacob Smith will be looking to shock the world at ONE 157 when he squares off against reigning ONE Muay Thai flyweight champion Rodtang.