After delivering one of the greatest Muay Thai fights of all time in September, Rodtang Jitmuangnon made his long-awaited return to the Circle at ONE 167 for a high-stakes kickboxing clash with ‘The Bosnian Menace’ Denis Puric.
Both fighters came out throwing heavy leather from the get-go. ‘The Iron Man’ was very elusive, a change of pace for the Thai superstar who typically loves to march forward and throw caution to the wind. Mixing up his strikes beautifully, Rodtang punished Puric up top, blasting him with combination after combination before brilliantly ripping to the body of his opponent.
In round two, Rodtang abandoned the elusiveness, opting to push forward with his iron-like chin up in the air. That gave Puric a greater opportunity to land throughout the round, but it was ‘The Iron Man’ who had the advantage in both speed and volume.
Puric undoubtedly had his best round in the third, but in the end, it wasn’t enough to undo the damage he had taken in the first two rounds.
Official Result: Rodtang def. Denis Puric via unanimous decision.
With the victory, ‘The Iron Man’ takes home his 272nd career win and his 15th under the ONE Championship banner. He is now 12-1 in Muay Thai action and 3-0 in kickboxing.