“Nervous but excited at the same time” - Isi Fitikefu gets real about facing notorious KO machine Zebaztian Kadestam
Isi Fitikefu is well aware of the consequences that can happen if he lets his guard down for even one second against Zebaztian Kadestam.
'The Bandit' is undoubtedly one of the most notorious killers in the home of martial arts, with all seven of his victories in ONE coming by way of spine-chilling stoppages.
Then again, 'Doxz' understands that the bigger the risk, the higher the reward. If Fitikefu can pull off an impressive victory against the former welterweight MMA world champion, he knows a shot at 26 pounds of gold will be within reach.
The Australian-Tongan bruiser told ONE Championship in an exclusive interview:
“He’s dangerous, and I like fights like that because it sort of excites me, makes you nervous but excited at the same time."
After stumbling in his promotional debut, Isi Fitikefu bounced back with a thunderous submission win over Valmir Da Silva and a dominant three-round beatdown of the surging 'Japanese Beast' Hiroyuki Tetsuka at ONE 168: Denver last year.
This earned the 32-year-old a potential welterweight MMA world title eliminator showdown with Kadestam at ONE Fight Night 31: Kongthoranee vs Nong-O II on Prime Video.
Don't miss this high-stakes war taking place at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, on May 2, live in US Primetime. ONE Fight Night 31 is free for Prime Video subscribers in North America.
Isi Fitikefu can shake up the pecking order in the 185-pound division
Former champ Zebaztian Kadestam has long been linked to a showdown with reigning welterweight MMA kingpin Christian Lee, especially after he decimated the phenomenal Roberto Soldic.
Even the double champion thinks 'The Bandit' should be his next challenger:
"It’s hard to pass up Kadestam when he knocked out Soldic in their last fight. So I think it’s only right, rankings-wise, that he would get the fight next. But you know, we’ll see. I’ll take any fight. So it’s up to ONE Championship," Lee said in an earlier interview with The Bangkok Post.
Then again, Isi Fitikefu has a massive opportunity to spoil the party at ONE Fight Night 31 and clinch himself a date with 'The Warrior'.