WATCH: Former champ Zebaztian Kadestam escapes from the brink of defeat in comeback KO over Roberto Soldic
Former ONE welterweight MMA world champion Zebaztian Kadestam put himself back in the middle of the division's title picture with a come-from-behind knockout of Roberto Soldic in May 2023.
Soldic had a spectacular start, gladly playing the role of the aggressor and surprisingly backing up 'The Bandit' in most of their exchanges. However, this over-aggression would be the Croatian superstar's undoing in the second round.
In a video shared by the world's largest martial arts promotion on Instagram, Kadestam dropped Soldic with a slick left elbow during a quick exchange. The Swede then entered all-out attack mode to stop 'Robocop' 45 seconds into round two.
Watch the entire sequence below:
The knockout earned Kadestam the distinction of being the second man to stop the UFD Gym affiliate in his career. The only other fighter to do so is current UFC middleweight king Dricus Du Plessis during their early days in Polish promotion KSW.
Many claimed after the fight that Kadestam got lucky. However, the 34-year-old had consistently landed elbow strikes throughout the first round. It just so happened that Kadestam disguised the final elbow strike as him gauging his range, which caught Soldic off guard and led to the finishing sequence.
Zebaztian Kadestam set for potential title eliminator at ONE Fight Night 31
Zebaztian Kadestam is now on a three-fight winning streak and could be on the cusp of challenging ONE welterweight and lightweight MMA world champion Christian Lee for the 185-pound MMA crown very soon.
But before he sets his sights on reclaiming the gold, he must first emerge victorious against the dangerous Australian-Tongan Isi Fitikefu at ONE Fight Night 31 on May 2 at the Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
ONE Fight Night 31 will air live and free to all Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.