ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Champion Rodtang Jitmuangnon is scheduled to fight on June 7th at the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand. He’ll be facing the #2-ranked Muay Thai contender, Denis Puric at ONE 167: Tawanchai vs. Nattawut 2. While Rodtang is aiming for a comeback after a knee injury, Puric has remained active throughout the year.

With many legendary names on the card, the entire MMA world has its eyes set on this event, even after ONE Women’s Atomweight MMA World Champion Stamp Fairtex’s withdrawal because of injury. Adding to the hype, fans are eager to learn about the fight’s setting, whether it will be in the ring or the cage. In a recent interview, Denis Puric shed light on everything, discussing his fighting style, the possibility of competing in MMA, and some struggles related to his previous fight.

Denis Puric hints at a cage fight with Rodtang Jitmuangnon, admits other struggles

Usually, regular boxing and Muay Thai in ONE Championship are performed in a ring. However, Denis Puric hinted that at ONE 167, his fight against Rodtang Jitmuangnon might take place in a cage. In a recent interview with the YouTube channel “OG Frequencies”, when the host asked “The Bosnian Menace” about the upcoming fight’s structure and location, Denis Puric replied, “I think so. Yeah, I’m not really sure, but I think it’s going to be in a cage because it’s at the Arena, and they have some MMA fights. I think so.”

Subsequently, the host fired another question about whether Puric’s aim in coming to ONE Championship was only to fight Rodtang and how he saw himself against him. In response, Denis Puric confidently replied that he sees himself winning against Rodtang Jitmuangnon. He added, “ In my last fight, I had a bad weight cut, so I got a little bit gasses out. Plus, man, my age-you know, it’s a little bit harder to get in shape nowadays.”

Further, Puric revealed that the reason for his good physique is that he hired a strength and conditioning coach, Sean, and called him best in the fitness game. He expressed that he feels younger these days, reminiscent of his Bellator fighting days. “The Bosnian Menace” also mentioned that this would be an achievement for him, as he is currently 39 years old, and facing a 26-year-old champion requires a lot of guts.

Puric calls his age a drawback against Rodtang

As soon as any athlete crosses 35, they start showing signs of aging in their performance. The same happened in the case of Denis Puric. As he revealed, with every new fight, he works harder, especially against younger opponents. With this mindset, he is going to face Rodtang Jitmuangnon in the upcoming scheduled fight at ONE 167: Tawanchai vs. Jo Nattawut II.

In a recent interview with ONE Championship, Denis Puric shared his insecurities about being 39 and fighting younger opponents like Rodtang Jitmuangnon, who is almost 13 years younger and currently the ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Champion. He said, “This is the reason why I made sure I took the right path and hired a proper conditioning coach because I am much older than Rodtang.” The fighter also emphasized the need to take care of his body to avoid injury.

Who do you think will win at ONE 167? Drop your pick in the comments below.