Jacob Smith-Denis Puric pivotal flyweight Muay Thai showdown confirmed for ONE Fight Night 21

English striker Jacob Smith has been chomping at the bit for his next assignment on the grandest stage of martial arts, and he will have his chance when ONE Fight Night 21 unfolds from the majestic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium on April 5.

The Bad Company and Thaifist standout faces battle-tested veteran Denis Puric in a crucial flyweight Muay Thai fixture in Bangkok, Thailand, seeking to move himself closer to a run at ONE gold.

After all, the 31-year-old is never one to shy away from challenges. His past two outings under the promotional spotlight are a perfect testament to why he's highly ranked amongst his peers in the Muay Thai realm.

He opened his account in a war alongside divisional king Rodtang Jitmuangnon in a ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Grand Prix Championship quarterfinal fixture at ONE 157 in May 2022.

Though he failed to find a way to penetrate past the ONE Flyweight Muay Thai world champion's defense, Smith's willingness to trade with one of the sport's leading global names impressed those watching from inside the Singapore Indoor Stadium and around the world.

The division's No.2-ranked contender wasted no time working on his shortcomings, and that showed when he returned for his sophomore outing against current No.5-ranked Walter Goncalves.

Jacob Smith barely gave his Brazilian foe any room to breathe as he sprinted into action with trademark aggression and power. In the end, all he needed was one round to see off the former world title challenger.

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Jacob Smith will be up against a stiff test in Denis Puric

Puric, however, doesn't fall prey all too easily — and he will look to get inside Jacob Smith's head early in this fight.

The man known to many as 'The Bosnian Menace' has made his presence known across four appearances in ONE Championship, where he has displayed unrelenting power.

He is on the hunt for back-to-back wins after a stunning second-round knockout of Nguyen Tran Duy Nhat at ONE Fight Night 17 in December last year.

With a win over a ranked opponent, the 38-year-old fighting out of Team CSK could perhaps earn himself a spot in the rankings and position himself as a dark horse in the stacked division.

North American fans with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription can catch the entire ONE Fight Night 21 card live and for free in U.S. primetime on Friday, April 5.