ONE Fight Night 10 has an incredible lineup of fights, but the welterweight war between Roberto Soldic and Zebaztian Kadestam could steal the show. The two knockout artists meet inside the Circle in Denver on May 5. “The Bandit” is feeling amazing heading into the biggest match of his career.
“I’m doing good. And with these two knockouts, my confidence is, I’m not up in the sky, my toes are still touching the ground, my confidence is back where it should be. I believe I am one of the best, and that’s when I have my confidence,” said Kadestam.
Kadestam has been at the top of the mountain before. The former ONE Welterweight World Champion has beaten some incredibly tough opponents, but they have not had the name recognition of Soldic. Kadestam is excited to be on Prime Video and have a chance to show the world his skills.
Soldic has made his name off a string of exciting knockouts en route to becoming a two-division World Champion in KSW. Kadestam is aware of his power but still expects the Croatian to utilize his wrestling. “The Bandit” believes his superior footwork and movement will leave Soldic weary of playing on the feet for too long.
And Soldic would be wise to worry about Kadestam’s striking as well. Kadestam is coming off back-to-back knockout performances in ONE Championship to put himself back near the division’s top. Thus, Kadestam is prepared to defend takedowns if need be during their bout.
“He’s really good, but I think, I hope not, but I think if he’s smart, he’s going to try and wrestle a little bit. He’s strong. He’s got good cardio. I don’t know, man. It’s going to be a really tough fight. He’s good overall. We got to see just a tiny bit against [Murad] Ramazanov, but I could see his wrestling is good, his defense is good, he’s strong, so it’ll be a good fight.”
Kadestam said he gets chills when thinking about the matchup at ONE Fight Night 10. He has already promised it would be one of the year’s best and claimed it could be the greatest welterweight match in history. Those lofty expectations add pressure to his shoulders, but that is pressure he is happy to carry in order to face the best in the world.
“Man, after I beat this guy, I’m back on top. I don’t care about any title. And we will see what happens next, but this is the biggest fight of my career for sure, and I’m coming for everything. To be honest, I haven’t been this motivated since I fought Tyler McGuire for the title,” said “The Bandit.”
In order for this to live up to the hype that Kadestam is laying out there, both men will have to trade leather. Kadestam agrees. He assures fans that a knockout is coming and nothing else will satisfy him or “Robocop.”
“It’s got to be by KO. Anything else is not enough. I’m giving this fight zero percent chance of going the distance. Somebody has to sleep, and to be honest, if it’s a good fight and it has to be me, I don’t give a f–k,” said Kadestam.
ONE Fight Night 10 emanates from the 1stBank Center on Friday, May 5. The event is free for all Amazon Prime members based in the U.S. and Canada. The action starts live at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.
