ONE Championship’s signing of Roberto Soldic sent shockwaves through the world of mixed martial arts on Monday, and the face of the organization, ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong, joined the newest signee for a press conference on Tuesday.
Chatri Sityodtong Says Soldic Could Be The Greatest
Soldic credited the plethora of opportunities as a reason he decided to put pen to paper.
Sityodtong agreed it was a massive opportunity for the Croatian to create a historic legacy in combat sports.
“I think he has a big opportunity to become, potentially, the greatest combat sports athlete ever in history,” said Sityodtong.
“Of course, we don’t know. I’m saying that’s the opportunity Roberto has. Will he achieve it? We will see, but he’s going to be facing a lot of monsters and killers at ONE. It’s not going to be easy.”
But the path is not going to be easy. The loaded ONE roster offers a plethora of top-tier talent in multiple divisions where Soldic could compete.
Among the many that could derail the hype train, Sityodtong mentioned Murad Ramazanov as a possible welterweight who could stop the rise of “Robocop.”
“Of course, it’s up to Roberto when he enters the cage. It’s him vs. his opponent, and like I said, it’s not going to be easy. I don’t think he’s going to have easy fights. He’s going to see,” said Sityodtong.
“Even in the welterweight division, we have Murad Ramazanov. He’s the #1 wrestler right now in Dagestan. He’s 12-0. He’s a very, very, very, amazing wrestler.”
“He has a lot of tough, tough guys he’s going to be fighting. He has to continue to level up and grow.”
The chance to win titles in multiple divisions across multiple sports was the biggest driving force for Soldic, and Sityodtong was adamant that creating the biggest platform was his chief responsibility.
He noted ONE’s positive relationship with its roster and allowing them to chase their goals to the best of their abilities.
“For me, the way I view my job is I got to create the platform, the biggest platform in the world, so that our athletes can live their dreams. I don’t want to stop them. I want to let them explore their greatness and be a partner in their success,” said Sityodtong.
“That’s how I am with all of our athletes. Once I feel something special, then I really want to make sure that ONE does everything in its power to help our athletes.”
