ONE Fight Night 26 results and recap: Denis Puric vs Elias Mahmoudi

After going three rounds with Rodtang Jitmuangnon in June, ‘The Bosnian Menace’ Denis Puric stepped back into the iconic Lumpinee Stadium at ONE Fight Night 26 for a clash with Algerian contender Elias Mahmoudi.

Though he came up short against ‘The Iron Man’ in their entertaining kickboxing clash at ONE 167, Puric has won back-to-back bouts in the art of eight limbs, earning a KO against Nguyen Tran Duy Nhat before landing a unanimous decision against two-time Rodtang opponent Jacob Smith. Now, he’ll look to make it three in a row against Mahmoudi — a dangerous fighter coming off of big wins against Edgar Tabares and Taiki Naito.

Round 1: Mahmoudi gets things started with a leg kick before connecting with a push kick that catches Puric on the chin. Puric comes right back with a Superman punch. Mahmoudi is working the leg kicks and catches Puric with another push kick that snaps Puric’s head back. Mahmoudi looks for a step-in elbow that forces Puric to back off and circle away. Puric attacks the lead leg, and Mahmoudi makes him pay with a combination.

Both fighters are starting to let the leather fly as Puric comes up short with a combo and Mahmoudi connects with one of his own. Puric lands a glancing overhand right followed by a big left hook that buckles the knees of Mahmoudi. With 10 seconds to go in the round, Puric throws a flying knee and throws a barrage of strikes that bloodies Mahmoudi just before the bell sounds.

Round 2: Puric is really letting his hands go in the second, throwing a combination in the center of the ring to get things started. Puric looks for a spinning heel kick to the body, but Mahmoudi seems it coming from a mile away. Puric lands to the body, and Mahmoudi attempts a spinning back fist that misses the mark.

Mahmoudi is moving forward and appears to catch Puric with a right that has ‘The Bosnian Menace’ retreating. Mahmoudi is relentless in his approach, but Puric continues to throw while on his back foot. Mahmoudi lands another push kick up top, and Puric is showing some redness on the nose. Mahmoudi matches with a left that appears to be a knockdown, but referee Olivier Coste calls it a slip and lets the action continue.

Mahmoudi pours it on but lands a vicious elbow to the back of the head of Puric, causing Puric to collapse. Coste calls a timeout as Puric attempts to recover from the illegal blow.

After a few minutes, the round resumes, but with only a few seconds left on the clock, they’re stopped before anyone can land anything substantial.

Round 3: All respect between the fighters to start round three, and Mahmoudi immediately goes on the attack. Puric fires a left-right as Mahmoudi approaches near the ropes. Puric throws a tornado kick that catches Mahmoudi on the arm. Puric is still trying to land on his back foot, but Mahmoudi is in hot pursuit and looking for the knockout shot. Puric lands a big shot at the body, and Mahmoudi comes right back with a knee up the knee.

Mahmoudi has Puric back into the corner and looks to land some inside elbows before Puric fights his way out. Puric throws a cartwheel kick, and Puric starts to show signs of fatigue as we approach 30 seconds left in the fight. Mahmoudi starts to land big, prompting Puric to turn his back, resulting in a warning from Coste.

As the fight resumes, Mahmoudi rushes in and folds Puric with a brutal body shot in the corner that folds ‘The Bosnian Menace.’ The bell sounds while Puric is on the mat, but he can’t answer the count resulting in a KO.

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ONE Fight Night 26 - Denis Puric vs. Elias Mahmoudi Official Result:

After delivering one of the best performances of his career, Elias Mahmoudi is more than deserving of a $50,000 bonus for his performance. Unfortunately, ‘The Sniper’ missed weight on Thursday disqualifying him from the extra payday. Mahmoudi apologized immediately for the weigh-in issue but was grateful for the opportunity to compete at ONE Fight Night 26.

Asked what he wanted next, Mahmoudi decided to shoot his shot, calling out ‘The Iron Man’ Rodtang Jitmuangnon for a fight in 2025.

Mahmoudi is now 4-1 in Muay Thai competition under the ONE banner and secured his 35th career win with the late KO against Puric. Already the fifth-ranked contender in the flyweight Muay Thai division, Mahmoudi will likely find himself with an even higher ranking in the near future, thanks to his impressive performance in Bangkok.

Official Result: Denis Puric defeated Elias Mahmoudi via knockout (body shot) at 2:58 of round 3 (Muay Thai - 138.75lb catchweight)