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Despite getting his hand raised against Denis Puric at ONE 167 earlier this month, an emotional Rodtang Jitmuangnon left Impact Arena in tears.
As 'The Iron Man' shared in his post-event interviews, he was subjected to a torrent of criticism due to him badly missing the demands of the scales.
The hate Rodtang received somehow dampened what was supposed to be a moment of pride and joy for him when he outclassed Puric in their action-packed catchweight kickboxing contest.
Seeing how emotionally hurt his foe was, Puric was quick to empathize with the Thai superstar and gave him words of encouragement.
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'The Bosnian Menace' recalled the heartwarming exchange in an interview with Sportskeeda MMA's Nick Atkin:
"I was trying to comfort Rodtang because he was super emotional. I was just trying to give him a hug on the way back. He was crying, bro. I was hugging him, kissing him [to try and calm him down]."
The 39-year-old veteran continued:
"I told him, leading up to this fight, I was also getting s**t on by so many people. I told him you can't be sitting around and reading those comments and letting it affect you, man."
That, right there, is the true beauty of martial arts. After trying to take each other's heads off during their fight, Puric set all animosity aside and came to the aid of a fellow fighter in need.
Here's the full interview:
Denis Puric reveals he gave Rodtang access to a nutritionist
After forging friendships with one another, Puric went to great lengths to try to help Rodtang address his weight issues.
'The Bosnian Menace' said he introduced the flyweight Muay Thai kingpin to his personal nutritionist, who gladly offered his services. Puric shared:
"My coach explained to him a bunch of things he's never knew and now, they have a direct contact. If they ever need anything, any kind of help, I told him to let us know. We want you to do everything right. If this guy takes care of his body, he can rule the world."
The full replay of ONE is available free on demand for Prime Video subscribers in North America.
Rewatch Rodtang and Denis Puric's thrilling war, here:
