‘He’s Never Faced Anybody Like Me’ – Soldic Hopes To Ruin Ramazanov’s Perfect Record In ONE Debut
Roberto Soldic is aiming to deliver an explosive performance in his ONE Championship debut on Friday, December 2.
The Croatian sensation will step into an extremely tough matchup against Murad Ramazanov at ONE on Prime Video 5, but that’s exactly what he wanted for his inaugural showing in the world’s largest martial arts organization.
If he can hand the Russian his first career defeat, “Robocop” will prove why he was considered the hottest free agent in MMA before he inked his deal with ONE earlier this year.
Soldic said of their welterweight matchup at the Mall of Asia Arena in Manila, Philippines:
“Straight away, I get the most dangerous wrestler and MMA fighter, Murad Ramazanov. I have never chosen any opponent from the beginning [of my career]. Just send a contract, and I will sign it. It doesn’t matter who he is.
“Ramazanov is 11-0 overall, 3-0 in ONE Championship. It’s good for me. I don’t want to take easy fights. I want good fights so that people can see I’m different, and I will try to show it again in ONE Championship, on the world stage. It’s not going to be easy, and that’s why I’m here.”
The 27-year-old knows that Ramazanov owns a well-rounded arsenal, and he won’t take anything for granted against the surging wrestler who’s already taken out a former ONE Welterweight World Champion in Zebaztian Kadestam.
However, Soldic also expects to surprise the Russian in his strongest area.
While he’s known primarily as a devastating striker – with 17 knockouts in 20 career wins – the Croatian has worked hard on his overall skill set to make sure he can compete in every range.
“Robocop” said:
“[Ramazanov is] good in the wrestling, really good control, like every Dagestan fighter. He has a good single-leg, switching to the body lock. He has good conditioning. His stand-up is okay.
“He’s a complete MMA fighter, like everyone today. Everybody knows jiu-jitsu, everybody knows wrestling, boxing, conditioning. People think I don’t train wrestling because I finished my fights in the stand-up, but I’ve done wrestling every day for 10 years.”
Soldic Says Experience Will Be Key Against Ramazanov
While Roberto Soldic thinks highly of Murad Ramazanov, he also believes his own difficult path to ONE Championship will give him an edge when they face off.
“Robocop” was a two-division champion in KSW – Europe’s largest MMA organization – and he’s taken some massive scalps along the way.
Now, he can’t wait to begin his assault on the elite athletes in ONE’s welterweight division.
Soldic said:
“I think I have more experience than him, and I’ve had the tougher fights. I had better opponents. But I never had underestimate anyone.
“I respect him a lot, but I can say that he’s never faced anybody like me. I’m something different. I’m southpaw. I’m a very dangerous guy.
“Also, I don’t have a weight cut. That’s good for me. I feel very, very good, very strong. Always at 84 kilograms (185 pounds), I give a good performance with a lot of power, good conditioning, and my mind is there.”
Soldic’s 20-3 MMA record and reputation as a dangerous knockout artist mean that fans are expecting a ferocious blitz of striking when he debuts in the Circle this Friday.
Feeling at the top of his game physically and mentally, that’s a definite possibility for the Croatian. But as long as he leaves with a victory, he’s happy to take it however it comes.
“Robocop” added:
“[The plan is] just win. I don’t care how. Submission, points, KO, it doesn’t matter for me. I just want to win the fight. Be smart, be sharp, be fast.
“People expect always KOs from me because most of my fights were finished by KO, so I guess I could surprise with a submission – I also have good jiu-jitsu.”
