"You opened it to the world" - Denis Puric shows his love for Rodtang's massive contribution in growing the sport of Muay Thai
Current undisputed ONE flyweight Muay Thai world champion Rodtang Jitmuangnon is the biggest star in the art of eight limbs, and even his ONE 167 opponent Denis Puric acknowledged it.
After their intense faceoff last weekend inside the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium ahead of their catchweight kickboxing match, Puric paid his respects to Rodtang. ONE Championship published the short interaction on Instagram.
'The Bosnian Menace' stated:
"I will always have respect for you. Because you made many things for Muay Thai. You opened it to the world. And I will always be thankful for that."
Puric also encouraged 'The Iron Man' to give the fans an unforgettable match, as he added:
"Hey, we'll make this the show of the year, okay? Let's go."
The two combat sports superstars lived up to the hype and produced an all-time classic fight. They fought in a see-saw battle for three rounds, throwing powerful strikes throughout, but eventually, Rodtang was awarded the unanimous decision victory.
Rodtang called his shot against Japanese superstar Takeru Segawa after win over Denis Puric
Following his latest victory under the world's largest martial arts organization, Rodtang has shifted his focus to booking a fight with Japanese superstar and former three-division K-1 Kickboxing champion Takeru Segawa soon.
The Thai megastar used his post-fight interview as an opportunity to call his shot against 'The Natural Born Crusher' and finally meet him inside the ring. They were supposed to headline the return of ONE Championship to Japan in January for the ONE 165 card, however, Rodtang suffered an injury that forced him out of the contest.
His fellow world champion, Superlek Kiatmoo9, stepped in to face Takeru and successfully defeated him via unanimous decision to retain his ONE flyweight kickboxing world title.
North American viewers with an active Prime Video subscription can rewatch all the action from ONE 167 via the free event replay.