ONE Championship | Soldic vs Kadestam set for May 5th

It was recently announced by ONE that Welterweight mega prospect, Roberto “Robocop” Soldic, will make his return when the Asian giants touch down in Colorado on May 5th for ONE Fight Night 10.

The heavy-handed Croatian will meet former champ Zebaztian “The Bandit” Kadestam, a fight which, with a win propels either man to the top of the division. A piece of matchmaking that seemingly promises to be a slobber knocker and one you won’t want to miss as a fight fan.

After an unfortunate ending to a long-awaited debut in December, “Robocop” is now knocking on the door of the next welterweight contender in a bid to make things right. But this job will be far from routine, a standoff opposite a Swedish “Bandit” who relishes the hard way, fully intending to come out with his hands up and his chin tucked, as he looks to plant another pursuer on the mat amid his quest to become king pin once more.

Soldic (20-3-0) fell victim to a No contest on his ONE debut against Murad Ramazanov in December, suffering a low blow which rendered him unable to continue. Established in the European MMA scene, “Robocop” made a name for himself in KSW, becoming their middleweight and welterweight champ while maintaining a 90 percent knockout rate through his 20 career wins.

His exciting style and consistent results saw him one of the most sought after fighters in MMA after he became a free agent last year. With knockout victories over top opponents such as Mamed Khalidov and UFC middleweight contender Dricus Du Plessis, as well fighting Bellator’s welterweight champ Yaroslav Amosov to a split decision in 2016 after just 7 pro fights, it’s no question whether he’s capable of performing against the best.

Currently riding a 7 fight win streak, Soldic is presented with a huge opportunity against former ONE welterweight king, Zebaztian Kadestam. A convincing win over “The Bandit” paired with his evident reputation and promise sounds like a recipe for a crack at the title. No one can tell me that a fight between Soldic and Christian Lee doesn’t sound like absolute insanity and I’m all for it.

Unlike Soldic, Kadestam (14-7-0) is a ONE veteran, fighting for the organisation since 2017 and even managing to claim gold in the process. “The Bandit” is known for his exciting hard nosed fighting style, he will stalk you, get in your face and bash you up with every limb he has at his disposal.

Despite his last two contests being first round knockouts, the Swede isn’t exactly an explosive fast starter, he’s patient and methodical but has a knack for pouncing upon openings with beautifully timed power shots.

The composure and killer instinct of this man means as long as you’re on the feet with him, the danger doesn’t go away. Like Soldic, he’s a finisher, with 12 of his 14 wins coming via KO or TKO, his last two ending viciously, a nasty right hand to break a 3 fight skid against Valmir Da Silva and most recently, a KO of the year contender against Iuri Lapicus in which he countered a level change with a vicious uppercut.

Kadestam’s Kryptonite if you will, has historically been strong wrestlers.

Although he has successfully stopped them in the past, the 3-fight skid which began with the loss of his belt against Kiamran Abbasov, consisted of 3 performances in which his grappling was exploited and he paid the price. Kadestam faced the same issue when facing Ben Askren during his ONE stint, but then again, at this point no one had been able to stop said approach by the American.

Of course, the blueprint has been set to beat Kadestam, but I can’t help but think that Soldic is going to relish the stand-up battle just as much as his Swedish counterpart.

A win for Kadestam would be huge here, a victory over one of the biggest and most highly regarded talents in MMA to round out a 3 fight win streak, I can’t help but think a title shot may be on the line for both guys here. Despite Kadestam’s loss to Ramazanov, I feel he will have made more of a statement than the Russian, all while remaining more active.

ONE certainly don’t seem to be pulling any punches in preparation for their US debut, slowly amassing an event of the year contender as they look to make a statement on the turf of their promotional competitors.

The card is already slated to contain four title fights, with Muay Thai, kickboxing, MMA and submission grappling gold all set to be on the line. The event will be headlined by the rubber match between MMA great Demetrious Johnson and a man he knows all too well, Brazil’s Adriano Moraes.

Who do you think takes it? Be sure to let us know!