Ahead of ONE 167, Denis Puric Recalls How Legendary Buakaw Took Him to Fight in a Thai Prison

ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Champion Rodtang “The Iron Man” Jitmuangnon is set to fight #2 ranked flyweight Muay Thai contender Denis “The Bosnian Menace” Puric in ONE 167: Tawanchai vs. Nattawut on June 7. This marks Rodtang’s return from a long layoff because of an injury, while Denis Puric rides a two-fight winning streak with his most recent win coming against Jacob Smith.

While fans may know most of Puric’s athletic life through his MMA career, a recent interview revealed some unseen and unheard aspects of his journey. He shared his early beginnings in fighting and a particular moment when the legendary Buakaw Banchamek took him to prison.

Buakaw landed Denis Puric in a Thai prison

Before his debut in professional MMA for ONE Championship, Denis Puric landed in Phuket, Thailand in 2011 to train under the camp of Buakaw. He still represents the camp and has always expressed his gratitude for Buakaw. In an interview with OG Frequencies, Puric revealed his experience of training alongside Buakaw saying, “We were fighting sometimes twice a month, every month for sure, once a month, twice a month, all over Thailand all over China. I fought at the prison.”

Puric participated in a prison fight against a 52-year-old inmate and though he ended up on the losing side, it was a fun bout for the fighter. Detailing his first fight in the prison, the 39-year-old added, “One day we’re at the camp and Buakaw was like, ‘Hey, you want to fight? I said, “Yeah. I want to fight! I’m here to fight, that’s what I want to do.” Buakaw then said, ‘You ‘re still okay, you’re going to jail.“‘ This shocked Puric, but then another fighter from the fight camp stepped up and clarified, “He means you want to fight in prison.”

Buakaw’s unusual approach that day, though unconventional, turned out to be a stroke of genius. As a skilled trainer, he quickly identified Denis Puric’s potential. This path led the 39-year-old from a prison fight to train alongside fighters like Superbon and Petchtanong. This close-knit training group propelled him on his journey to the ONE Championship. Now, in his upcoming against Rodtang Jitmuangnon, he aims to prove himself and secure a victory.

Puric is happy to take up the fight against Jitmuangnon

In his short career, Denis Puric has made a significant mark on ONE Championship with his amazing record of 3 wins and  2 losses. He has a huge fan following across Asia and Western countries. His latest win against Jacob Smith in his Flyweight Muay Thai match at ONE Fight Night 21 led him to call out the Flyweight World Champion Rodtang Jitmuangnon, which has been his aim since his debut.

Thai Champion Rodtang Jitmuangnon last competed in September against Kickboxing king Superlek Kiatmoo9 and ended up losing the fight. After that, he was scheduled to fight against the Japanese fighter, Takeru Segawa. However, the fight didn’t happen because Rodtang sustained an injury.

Now, Rodtang is set to return to fight Denis Puric. The 39-year-old is happy to get his dream fight as he stated in an interaction with Bolasport.com, “I’ve been calling out Rodtang since I got into this organization, and yeah, right after the last fight, they approached me and asked me if I wanted to do a kickboxing bout against him in June. And I was more than happy to take this fight. I’ve been waiting for this moment for a long time.”

Who are you siding with, Denis Puric or Rodtang Jitmuangnon at ONE 167? Let us know in the comment box.