‘Haven’t Seen Anything Particularly Dangerous’ – Dagi Arslanaliev Throws Shade At Roberto Soldic Ahead Of ONE 171: Qatar
Dagi Arslanaliev isn’t concerned about what Croatian brawler Roberto “Robocop” Soldic will bring to the table when they collide in an intriguing welterweight MMA contest at ONE 171: Qatar.
Set to go down at Lusail Sports Arena on Thursday, February 20, that bout pits two of MMA’s most talented finishers against each other.
Prior to arriving in ONE, Soldic made a name for himself as a devastating knockout artist, dominating the European scene with his heavy hands and penchant for trading leather. However, the 30-year-old has gotten off to a slow start in the organization with a no contest and a defeat.
For his part, Arslanaliev has long been a mainstay of the ONE lightweight MMA division’s upper echelon, racking up eight wins and eight highlight-reel finishes in the division and also reaching the final of the 2019 ONE Lightweight MMA World Grand Prix.
At ONE 171: Qatar, the Turkish star will move up in weight, and while he might be smaller than Soldic, that element of the matchup does not worry him.
Arslanaliev told onefc.com:
“It doesn’t matter what weight he’s at. When we step into the cage, it’s just him and me. His supporters and mine stay outside.”
Despite “Robocop’s” near-perfect finishing rate and reputation as an ultra-aggressive finisher, Arslanaliev refuses to buy into the hype.
In fact, he was quick to throw some shade at Soldic, criticizing him for avoiding difficult fights and even being “passive” when he does compete.
Finding sparring partners to mimic the Croatian’s style, joked Arslanaliev, wasn’t that difficult:
“We didn’t have anyone exactly like him, but there were guys who didn’t really want to train or fight, which is somewhat similar to his style.
“He doesn’t wrestle much and avoids the fight at times. I’ve watched his bouts — he can be quite passive.”
Arslanaliev isn’t impressed by what he’s seen of Soldic so far. Sure, “Robocop” has plenty of knockouts on his resume, but the Turkish fighter questioned his level of competition outside of ONE.
Ultimately, Arslanaliev is primarily concerned about his own training and preparation – not his opponent:
“Maybe Soldic is a very tough guy, but I haven’t seen anything particularly dangerous from him. Any opponent can be dangerous if you yawn and sleep with your mouth open, you know? Then anything can happen.
“I’ll just work hard and see how things go. I don’t really focus too much on his strengths or weaknesses. I just do my job.”
Arslanaliev Previews Game Plan Against Soldic
While he might not be paying much mind to Roberto Soldic’s skill set, Dagi Arslanaliev is still putting together a game plan for ONE 171: Qatar.
As a supremely well-rounded fighter who is equally capable of finding the finish on the feet or the canvas, the 30-year-old plans to keep his options open and respond to whatever “Robocop” gives him on February 20:
“I can’t predict what will happen in the fight, and I won’t make any statements because I don’t know how things will unfold.
“My plan is simple – to work off my opponent, capitalize on his mistakes, and keep active the whole time. If the finish comes early, I’ll do my best to make it happen.”
That intense approach to combat has already cemented Arslanaliev as one of the organization’s most electrifying finishers and a global MMA superstar.
Of course, he’d happily accept a first-round knockout or submission, but if he can exhaust Soldic and overwhelm him with offense, he feels a late stoppage could be even more spectacular:
“For me, it would be better to take the fight to the later rounds. That way, when my opponent tires, I can show something special to the audience.”
