‘Rivals to Teammates’- Rodtang Jitmuangnon and Denis Puric Spotted Playing Soccer Together After Tough Fight at ONE 167

Former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson’s quote, “Everybody you fight is not your enemy,” has been hard to apply in recent times. However, there are examples of its relevance. Just last week, we saw a recent tie between ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Champion Rodtang Jitmuangnon and ranked #2 Flyweight Muay Thai contender Denis Puric at ONE 167: Tawanchai vs. Nattawut 2. Rodtang emerged victorious, but immediately after their fight, they turned their rivalry into a friendship.

Moreover, in light of their growing friendship, a recent reel uploaded by Denis Puric’s coach on social media shows how they’ve moved past their Muay Thai rivalry and brought that camaraderie to the soccer field, along with Rodtang’s friends and family.

Are Rodtang Jitmuangnon and Denis Puric soccer buddies?

Most of Rodtang Jitmuangnon’s fans are aware of his love for soccer. He even once mentioned that if he weren’t a Muay Thai fighter, he would be a soccer player. However, due to circumstances, he had to give it up and pursue May Thai. This time, “The Iron Man” made sure to invite his new friend out for a game of soccer, as revealed by Denis Puric’s coach, Shaun Kober, in a later reel uploaded on Instagram.

On Instagram, a reel is captioned with Coach Kober’s words: “From rivals to teammates! @rodtang_jimungnon invites @bosnian_menace to play football with his family and friends. The last two months have been an incredible experience, right up there with some of the best periods of my life.”

Coach Kober also reveals in the caption that on April 9, he and Denis Puric sat down to discuss their upcoming fight (ONE 167). He further reveals that Puric expressed his desire to bet Rodtang to fulfill his dream, which prompted the call-out train together. Puric appears determined in his pursuit.

Furthermore, fans and critics are overjoyed by Rodtang’s action and Puric’s response. However, as Rodtang fans, we know we can still expect to see him on the soccer field more often than you might expect when practicing Muay Thai. This is because playing soccer was Rodtang’s first passion, as he shared in an interview last year.

Rodtang reveals why he chose Muay Thai over soccer

The saying “the hardest choice requires the strongest will” perfectly applies to the life of the current ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Champion, Rodtang Jitmuangnon. Though his childhood passion was soccer, financial hardship forced him to switch to Muay Thai due to its better-earning potential at the time. This difficult decision ultimately proved to be a fortunate one, propelling him to the pinnacle of Muay Thai.

Moreover, last week, “The Iron Man,” Rodtang Jitmuangnon, shed more light on this matter in an interview with ONE Championship. He revealed, “But I was paid very little for playing soccer compared to Muay Thai. I decided to compete in Muay Thai to earn more money to support my family. At that time, I would earn 300 baht (US$8) per fight.” Rodtang also expressed his gratitude to Muay Thai for allowing him to fulfill his dream, better care for his family, and become one of the best pound-for-pound fighters of all time.

Do you think if Rodtang hadn’t chosen Muay Thai, he’d be a professional soccer player today? Share your thoughts in the comments below!