Rodtang Jitmuangnon Used a Stepping Stone to Get a Title Shot by Denis Puric – “I Think I Deserve That Much”

Denis Puric has wanted to fight Rodtang Jitmuangnon since he arrived in ONE Championship. And now that he’s on the verge of getting his wish, the Bosnian-Canadian striker is already looking at his next goal. 

At ONE 167: Tawanchai vs. Nattawut II on Friday, June 7, Puric will face “The Iron Man” in a flyweight kickboxing match inside the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand. 

Denis Puric knows the perks of defeating Rodtang Jitmuangnon

Currently ranked #2 in ONE’s flyweight Muay Thai rankings, “The Bosnian Menace” may have been hoping to challenge Rodtang’s reign atop the stacked division. But, ultimately, he doesn’t mind what sport he fights the Thai superstar in, as he sees him as a stepping stone to bigger things.

“I like kickboxing. It opens more doors, right? When I beat him in kickboxing, I’ll be ranked #1 in kickboxing. I’m ranked #2 in Muay Thai. I’m in a good place, man. Nothing but title fights after that. I think I deserve that much,” Puric said. 

As well as holding the ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Title, “The Iron Man” is the top-ranked contender in the flyweight kickboxing division, so defeating him would put Puric in a strong position.

With back-to-back wins in his last two ONE Championship outings, the 39-year-old powerhouse believes that gold is in his future and opportunities to get it should become a reality with another victory at ONE 167.

“After I beat him, I do think that I do deserve [a title shot]. And I think I deserve the title shot at kickboxing as well, after that,” he said. 

Though he’ll be competing in kickboxing for the first time in his two-year ONE tenure when he meets Rodtang, Puric’s hopes of being thrown into the World Title conversation should he get his hand raised on June 7 aren’t out of the realm of possibility.

What the future holds for “The Bosnian Menace”?

Divisional king Superlek already owns a win against Rodtang, and he defeated #2-ranked Takeru Segawa in January, so they might not be on his radar again any time soon.

Meanwhile, Puric claimed victory over #4-ranked contender Tagir Khalilov when they fought in Muay Thai, so he’d be confident he could do it again in kickboxing. 

Fifth-ranked Elias Mahmoudi and #3-ranked Taiki Naito could be potential roadblocks, but there is little doubt he’d welcome a fight with either or both to push himself further up the ranks.

For now, though, Puric must put those thoughts out of his head. He’s got “The Iron Man” to focus on, and Superlek is busy readying himself for his challenge of Jonathan Haggery and the ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Championship at ONE 168: Denver in September.

But a win for “The Bosnian Menace” at ONE 167 could see the emergence of a genuine two-sport World Title contender, so fans shouldn’t miss him in action.