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Elias Mahmoudi dealt a devastating knockout defeat to Denis Puric at ONE Fight Night 26 on Dec. 6 in Thailand but the former's team had nothing but respect for the 'Bosnian Menace' after the gallant stand that he put up on fight night.
The two collided in one of the more electrifying matches at the event that took place at the Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok last week, with the Algerian star coming away with an impressive last-second KO of Puric by way of a ferocious barrage of strikes.
While Puric went down in defeat, he still impressed everyone with the way he battled Mahmoudi with grit and heart. This was something Mahmoudi's coach Jowad highlighted in his comment in ONE's Instagram post on his brother's win.
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The coach wrote:
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"Only but respect for @bosnian_menace he's a hard hard man thanks for the amazing fight with @elias_mahmoudi_official"
Elias Mahmoudi's victory over Puric at ONE Fight Night 26 would have been a strong candidate to receive a $50,000 performance bonus from ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong but for missing weight he was ineligible to get one, with the contest played at catchweight (138.75 lbs) from flyweight.
The full replay of ONE Fight Night 26 is available on demand for Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.
Elias Mahmoudi hopes win over Denis Puric thrusts him to world title shot
Long competing in ONE Championship, Elias Mahmoudi hopes that his win over Denis Puric at ONE Fight Night 26 on Dec. 6 will lead him finally to a world title shot.
He made this known even before he took on the 'Bosnian Menace' on fight night, writing on an Instagram post:
"Another step closer to the belt. Meets fight against the number 2 [3] in the flyweight rankings. We hope that after this fight it will be the title. To all those who follow me, I promise you a fiery fight. 🔥🔥🔥"
The win at ONE Fight Night 26 was the third straight for Mahmoudi and the fifth in seven matches in ONE since he made his promotional debut in 2019. It also enhanced his chances for a shot at the flyweight gold that is currently vacant.
