WATCH: Rodtang and Denis Puric unleash high hell in absolute Bangkok barnburner at ONE 167
The kickboxing clash between topnotch strikers Rodtang Jitmuangnon and Denis Puric last weekend lived up to its lofty billing with both fighters treating fans to three rounds of solid heavy leather.
Intially penciled in as a flyweight clash, the co-headlining contest at ONE 167: Tawanchai vs Nattawut on June 7 in Bangkok, Thailand, was played at a catchweight of 141.2 lbs as Rodtang missed weight.
Still, the contest remained a barnburner as it was tipped to be, with 'The Iron Man' going away with a unanimous decision victory over 'The Bosnian Menace'.
The two fighters mixed it up right from the start. The Thai superstar landed some crisp combinations to the body of Puric but the latter also had his moments, especially in the second round, landing tellling shots of his own.
In the third round, with the outcome still very much open, the protagonists slugged it away, looking to swing the tide in their respective favors. In the end, however, it was Rodtang whose hand was raised in victory.
ONE Championship uploaded highlights of the explosive contest on YouTube for fight fans to relive. Check out the video below:
The win at ONE 167 was the 272nd in the illustrious career of Rodtang, 26, and 15th under ONE Championship
Puric, meanwhile, saw his two-fight ascent halted with the loss.
Rodtang delivers on promise to beat Denis Puric at ONE 167
Thai superstar Rodtang Jitmuangnon delivered on his promise to defeat Denis Puric at ONE 167 on June 7 after he received a lot of smack talk from the veteran Bosnian fighter in the lead-up.
'The Iron Man' got the better of 39-year-old Puric in their catchweight kickboxing clash at the weekend in Bangkok, Thailand. He took on the spirited challenge of "The Bosnian Menace' in their scheduled three-rounder head-on and emerged on top by way of unanimous decision.
It was in line with his intentions coming into the contest, which he made known during the press conference for ONE 167, saying:
"Everyone has their opinion, and everyone thinks they can win in their own way. But the only absolute answer to this, we will see in the Circle this Saturday."
The victory was a bounce-back for Rodtang after he lost by unanimous decision to fellow Thai superstar Superlek Kitamoo9 in their epic three-round catchweight Muay Thai match.