"I came here to do my job" - Denis Puric shrugs off knockdown controversies in big win over Jacob Smith
Denis Puric isn't worried about the knockdown controversy surrounding his latest ONE Championship win.
On April 5, Puric looked to continue building momentum when he faced Jacob Smith at ONE Fight Night 21. 'The Bosnian Menace' had his hand raised by unanimous decision but not without slight controversy, as Smith believes the multiple times he was knocked down shouldn't have counted.
During a post-fight interview with Sportskeeda, Puric had this to say about the knockdown controversy in his latest win:
"I'm not the referee but I come here to fight. I don't come here to do the reffing and the judging and all this sh*t. I came here to do my job and that's what I did. It's not on my hands to call the [knockdowns]. It's not my sh*t man."
The ONE Fight Night 21 replay, including Puric's unanimous decision win against Smith, can be seen for free by North American and Canadian viewers with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.
Watch Denis Puric's entire post-fight interview with Sportskeeda below:
Does Denis Puric deserve a title shot against Rodtang next?
Denis Puric is riding a two-fight win streak after taking out Nguyen Tran Duy Nhat (second-round knockout) and Jacob Smith (unanimous decision). Although the rankings aren't updated, 'The Bosnian Menace' could potentially take Smith's number two ranking in the ONE flyweight Muay Thai division.
Following his ONE Fight Night 21 win, Puric called out the division's world champion, Rodtang. Unfortunately for the 39-year-old, he may have to secure another win, as 'The Iron Man' is connected to rumors of a super-fight against Japanese superstar Takeru Segawa later this year.
Rodtang also has unfinished business with ONE flyweight kickboxing world champion Superlek. In September 2023, Superlek defeated Rodtang by unanimous decision in a legendary non-title Muay Thai fight. 'The Kicking Machine' was ineligible for the ONE flyweight throne because he missed weight.
Before potentially facing Rodtang in a rematch, Superlek looks to claim two-sport supremacy when he challenges ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world champion Jonathan Haggerty on Sept. 6 in the ONE 168 co-main event.