Former ONE Welterweight World Champion Zebaztian “The Bandit” Kadestam believes that fans are in for a treat when he takes on highly touted Roberto “Robocop” Soldic in two weeks.
The two welterweight bangers will meet at ONE Fight Night 10: Johnson vs. Moraes III inside the sold-out 1stBank Center in Colorado on 6 May (PHT). And Kadestam knows how tricky this fight is for him.
“He’s got the power. He’s got good timing. His left hand is good. He’s primarily a boxer, a better boxer than he is a kickboxer. I’ve got to watch my P’s and Q’s so I don’t get knocked out, but so far so good in that department,” he said.
“I believe I’m a little bit more slick. I think I’ve got more tricks up my sleeve. I can fight side to side, I can fight moving backwards, I can fight moving forwards. I think he’s mostly a straightforward guy, and that’s going to suit me well.”
But don’t mistake his confidence for complacency. In fact, he knows that Soldic is someone who will not fold easily.
The Croatian comes in with a 20-3-1 record, with 17 of those 20 wins coming from knockouts – a statistic that Kadestam is well aware of.
“I think he’s a really good fighter. He hits hard, and he takes one to give two, so this is a tough fight for sure. He’s got a puzzle I’ve got to solve, but I’ve got a few more puzzles for him to solve,” he said.
One thing that Kadestam is also anticipating is Soldic’s wrestling. While the Croatian has been noted as a deadly striker, the Swede believes everyone changes their game plan when they’re fighting him.
“I think – I hope not, but I think – if [Soldic is] smart, he’s going to try and wrestle a little bit In the end, they all do. Look at [Luis] Santos. He’s the best striker I’ve faced, he kills everybody, and he started shooting. Everybody shoots,” he said.
“I can’t predict the future, but I’m not going to be surprised if he does. It’s MMA at the end of the day, so why not? If he sees the opportunity to take me down and elbow me in the face, why wouldn’t he?”
Although Kadestam can’t predict the future, he’s almost certain that somebody’s lights are going out in Colorado this upcoming May.
“The fight has got to end 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 ****,” he said.
“I expect him to come and try to knock my head off my body and kick it to another planet. I expect it and I look forward to it.”
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