Zebaztian Kadestam And Tyler McGuire Face Off In Jakarta

The main event stars of ONE: WARRIOR’S DREAM have faced each other ahead of their battle for the ONE Middleweight World Title this Saturday, 17 November.

Sweden’s Zebaztian “The Bandit” Kadestam (10-4) and America’s Tyler McGuire (11-0) met for the first time as opponents at an open workout in Jakarta, Indonesia.

As they made their final preparations for their clash at the Stadium Istora, each man explained why they expected to win at the weekend.

“I feel extremely confident heading into this next bout. I have learned many lessons from my experience in competing for the title against Ben Askren a year ago,” Kadestam said.

“Now, I have come out as a much improved martial artist. There are a lot of things that I can still improve on, and I’m getting better every day. I’ve been training hard, and I feel good, so I feel confident in this fight.

“Tyler McGuire is a strong guy with good stamina. The first couple of rounds is going to be tough, so I have to be careful. He’s going to try to take me down, but I’ve prepared my defense well.

“Then it’s just a matter of going out there and having fun. I’m used to things being rough and tough. I’ve never had an easy fight in my whole career.”

Each man last competed on the same night at ONE: PURSUIT OF POWER in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in July.

“The Bandit” and McGuire were both impressive in victory against Agilan “Alligator” Thani and Luis “Sapo” Santos, respectively, to set up this World Title match.

Having seen his opponent’s skills first-hand, McGuire added he would not be underestimating his opponent.

“To receive the opportunity to win a World Title in ONE Championship is an absolute honor. It means you are among the world’s best,” he said.

“I have prepared very hard for this fight, and now I want to showcase the results of my hard work. Zebaztian Kadestam is a real tough guy, and I know he’s going to come to fight. That’s exactly what I want, and I don’t expect anything less.

“I know he thinks I can’t hurt him with my striking, but my striking is underrated. Let’s see. I consider myself a complete martial artist.

“Of course, my main arsenal is still my ground game, and if there is an opportunity to take him down, I’ll maximize it. But if we are going to stand up and trade, then I’m prepared for that.”