Denis Puric refuses to call his shots for Rodtang megafight: "Every time I do, I jinx myself"
Denis Puric will let his hands do the talking at ONE 167. Coming off a massive win against Jacob Smith at ONE Fight Night 21 in April, 'The Bosnian Menace' will make a relatively quick turnaround as he straps on the eight-ounce gloves for a kickboxing clash with reigning ONE flyweight Muay Thai world champion, Rodtang Jitmuangnon.
While Puric is fresh off a big win inside the Circle, their highly anticipated clash inside Bangkok's Impact Arena on Friday, June 7 will be Rodtang's first appearance since delivering the Muay Thai Fight of the Year with Superlek Kiatmoo9 in September.
Speaking with ONE Championship ahead of the biggest fight of his combat sports career, Denis Puric was unwilling to offer any prediction for the bout.
Instead, he'll step on martial arts' biggest global stage and do everything he can to see his hand raised.
"I’m not gonna throw predictions out here because every time I do, I jinx myself," Puric said. "So I’m going to go there, perform the best I can, and, at the end of the fight, I will come out with my hand raised."
Rodtang will be as determined as ever when he meets Denis Puric at ONE 167
Puric's balls-to-the-wall fighting style has secured victories over Tagir Khalilov, Nguyen Tran Duy Nhat, and the aforementioned Jacob Smith — but he's never fought someone like 'The Iron Man.'
As a ONE world champion and the No.1-ranked flyweight kickboxer in ONE, Rodtang has dispatched a slew of top stars in both sports, including Walter Goncalves, Danial Williams, Joseph Lasiri, Jiduo Yibu, and two-sport titleholder Jonathan Haggerty not one, but twice.
However, 'The Iron Man' will step back inside the Circle in an unfamiliar position — looking to bounce back from a loss. After coming up short against Superlek, Rodtang will likely come out with a fire lit under him like never before.
Who comes out on top when two of ONE's most dangerous strikers square off in a can't-miss kickboxing showdown?
ONE Championship fans in the United States and Canada can watch ONE 167 live and for free via Amazon Prime Video in U.S. primetime on Friday, June 7.