ONE Championship will put a welterweight barnburner in the spotlight at its U.S. debut event on May 5 in Broomfield, Colo. Roberto Soldic returns against former ONE Welterweight World Champion Zebaztian Kadestam at ONE Fight Night 10.
The match will serve as a chance at redemption for Soldic. The Croatian superstar debuted on the global stage in 2022, but a low blow by Murad Ramazanov put a halt to the bout, resulting in a no contest.
“Herb Dean, the referee, told me, ‘You have five minutes.’ I said, ‘Bro, you can give me 20 minutes, or you can give me all day, but I cannot [fight] because that was really, really tough on me.’ I don’t know how to say it. This had to happen, and it happened. And, of course, I didn’t show [my skills so] well on my first fight. So yeah, I hope the May 5 fight will be much better to watch, of course. I am going to try to show my US fans who I am and why they call me ‘Robocop,’” said Soldic.
Kadestam is equally as excited for the matchup. The former welterweight king has already claimed it will be the most exciting welterweight battle in the sport’s history. However, Soldic feels an all-out aggression style will not be the smartest choice for Kadestam.
“He is a kill-or-be-killed type of guy. It’s not good for him if he does this with me. If he stands a lot with me, that will be a big problem. I’m a complete fighter. I can do everything. I always plan to keep moving forward and destroy these guys [in front of me],” said “Robocop.”
That belief comes from his incredible power. Soldic is a knockout machine, and rode several KOs to prominence in KSW. The former two-division KSW World Champion is now hoping to show it off to a global audience in ONE.
And he does not think Kadestam understands the danger.
“People cannot imagine [when they’re just watching me] on YouTube compared to when they go to the live event feel the excitement I bring. He will know all of this. This is something different,” said Soldic.
“Robocop” is also motivated by competing in the U.S. for the first time in his career. His star has been on the rise, but competing in America will only serve to put a rocket ship on his back with a massive performance.
Alongside many other top stars in the sport, Soldic is planning on putting on a show in Denver.
“They made this fight in our first show in the U.S., and I’m very happy I’m fighting in America because it’s an excellent card with a great main event in DJ against Adriano Moraes. Sage Northcutt is back. Rodtang is there, Stamp Fairtex, and all the big names. I’m also on that card, and this makes me want to go to the gym and train and keep working hard. Yeah, I’m very happy. I’m very excited about this one,” said the Croatian.
All of Soldic’s focus is on ONE Fight Night 10. The Croatian would like to have a rematch against Ramazanov and chase the gold, but he is not putting the cart before the horse. May 5 is in the crosshairs of “Robocop.”
“I don’t know, really, because I’m really focused on this fight. And I know it’s a good challenge for me. I can tell you after the fight. If you ask me after the fight, I’ll let you know. For now, I’m focused on Zebaztian, and I need to finish this guy,” said Soldic.
ONE Fight Night 10 airs live on Prime Video on Friday, May 5. The event is free for all Amazon Prime subscribers based in the U.S. and Canada and begins at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.