The wait is finally over for the fans of ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Champion Rodtang Jitmuangnon. ONE Championship recently announced his next fight, a rematch against British sensation Jacob Smith. This highly anticipated bout will take place at ONE 169: Atlanta, marking the promotion’s third show on American soil. Rodtang’s ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Title will be on the line when he marches into action at State Farm Arena in Atlanta.

This news was shared by ONE Championship’s official Instagram page with the caption, “”The Iron Man” is ATL-bound. Rodtang defends his ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Championship in a rematch against third-ranked Jacob Smith at ONE 169: Atlanta!” In their last encounter, Rodtang dominated the #3 ranked Jacob Smith at ONE 157 in 2022. Now, Smith gets another chance to settle the score with the Thai champion.

Rodtang Jitmuangnon, widely regarded as one of the best athletes on the ONE Championship roaster, is riding high after his recent victory over Denis Puric at ONE 167 last month. He secured a unanimous decision win. In contrast, Jacob Smith, who also fought Puric in 2024, has only had three fights inside the ONE Championship and fell short against Puric.

This announcement by ONE Championship received mixed reactions from fans. Some expressed disappointment with the selection of Jacob Smith as Rodtang’s opponent, expecting a more established challenger. Names like Takeru Segawa were mentioned as desired matchups. Even Elias Mahmoudi, the #5-ranked ONE flyweight Muay Thai contender, expressed his interest in facing Rodtang Jitmuangnon.

Fans react to Rodtang vs. Jacob Smith

The first comment came from Elias Mahmoudi, who’s currently gearing up for his fight against Taiki Naito at ONE Fight Night 24 on August 2nd. However, this upcoming bout doesn’t seem to be enough to satisfy Mahmoudi’s ambitions. Setting his sights on the title belt, he expressed his eagerness for another shot at the champion, commenting, “I have been waiting for this opportunity for a very long Time.”

Meanwhile, fans chimed in, expressing their desire for a Rodtang Jitmuangnon vs. Takeru Segawa matchup. This fight was originally planned for ONE 165: Tokyo, but Rodtang’s undisclosed injury forced him to pull out, leading to Superlek Kiatmoo9 taking his place. One fan commented, “You guys better give Takeru a tune-up fight too,” reflecting the sentiment of another who wrote, “Happy for Rodtang fight but I wanted Takeru for the opponent.”

Another ONE Muay Thai contender, Tagir Khalilov, also threw his hat in the ring for a shot at Rodtang’s ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Championship. Khalilov previously faced Rodtang in his debut fight for the promotion in 2021. He commented, “Give me that guy. We had an insane fight when I got my debut with @rodtang_jimungnon one week on short notice. I think I will have a chance to get his gold @yodchatri.”

While there are interesting suggestions from fans, Rodtang and Smith are all set for Atlanta. It will be intriguing to see if Jacob Smith can pull off the upset and dethrone Rodtang from his dominant championship reign. Stay tuned for further updates!