“Now we are brothers” - Rodtang recalls consoling Jacob Smith in the aftermath of their epic five-round war 

Rodtang Jitmuangnon put the hurt on Jacob Smith last Friday, Nov. 8, as he beat him bloody across five rounds in the penultimate match of ONE 169: Malykhin vs. 'Reug Reug'.

However, once the full 15 minutes elapsed and the final horn sounded, the Thai megastar was nothing but gracious to the British slugger.

The former flyweight Muay Thai world champion once again got the best of Smith, earning another dominant unanimous decision victory. Seeing his adversary feel dejected once the verdict was announced, Rodtang consoled the No.3-ranked flyweight Muay Thai contender.

'The Iron Man' recalled his heartwarming moment with Smith while speaking to the media in the ONE 169 post-event press conference:

"It looked like Jacob Smith was a little bit frustrated. I was just going in and telling him that I respect him, and this is the second time now that we've been fighting each other."

The Jitmuangnon Gym affiliate continued:

"I just want to compliment him that he's strong, he's durable, and now we are brothers, even though my image is not that good. I don't know if he understood most of what I said, I just want to calm him down."

Watch the full ONE 169 post-event press conference in its entirety:

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Rodtang wants to reclaim his flyweight Muay Thai crown before possible move to bantamweight

As remarkable as Rodtang's complete decimation of Smith was, his victory was dampened by his inability to meet the demands of the scales.

'The Iron Man' paid the ultimate price for missing weight, losing his flyweight Muay Thai world title outside the ring.

Considering this is the second straight bout that the Thai megastar has exceeded the flyweight limit, fans and pundits alike are calling for him to move to bantamweight.

However, Rodtang insists that he wants to reclaim his flyweight belt first before considering a transition to 145 pounds. He told Mitch Chilson in his in-ring interview.

"As a fighter, I want every belt. And this belt that I lost, I definitely want it back, but that might be a potential in the future."

The full replay of ONE 169 is available on demand for Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.