"On to the next one" - Zebaztian Kadestam vows to come back stronger after loss to Murad Ramazanov

Zebaztian Kadestam’s mission to reclaim the ONE welterweight world title might have taken a huge hit after his defeat to Murad Ramazanov at ONE: Winter Warriors II.

Still, ‘The Bandit’ will try to recapture his old form as he pursues the golden strap he once owned – currently held by Kiamrian Abbasov.

Zebaztian Kadestam recently posted about his bout against the Russian slugger from 17 December on his Instagram account.

“Lesson learned. Thank you for the support and thanks to everyone that helped out during the last camp. Win, lose or draw, I fight, I come to fight. On to the next one.”

The Legacy Gym and Pancrase Gym Sweden star arrived at the promotion with an 8-3 record back in 2017. In his debut, the Stockholm native knocked out former welterweight world title challenger Luis Santos to earn a shot at gold.

In his next fight, his quest came to an abrupt end. Zebaztian Kadestam was knocked out by then-welterweight champion Ben Askren.

Knowing he had to earn another statement win in the Singapore-based promotion, Zebaztian Kadestam ripped apart his Malaysian rival Agilan Thani with huge knees and elbows in the match that followed.

Four months later, Zebaztian Kadestam finally got his hands on the championship belt with a highlight-reel knockout against American Tyler McGuire. He went on to defend his golden strap once more before suffering two back-to-back defeats.

His latest defeat may have further derailed the former world champion in his mission to win the gold. However, based on his latest Instagram post, it is clear that nothing will stop him from accomplishing his dream.

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Can Zebaztian Kadestam reclaim the gold in 2022?

Three successive defeats have certainly put Zebaztian Kadestam out of the title picture for now. On the bright side, the promotion’s welterweight division houses some of the greatest 185 pounds fighters in the world. If ‘The Bandit’ would like to have a third shot at gold, there are plenty of options for him to choose from.

A rematch against McGuire would make sense given that the American athlete is coming off a loss to Raimond Magomedaliev. If that does not work out, a battle against Hiroyuki Tetsuka or Yoshihiro Akiyama should intrigue the Swedish athlete.

Like Zebaztian Kadestam, both Japanese fighters are eager to rack up more wins to get a title shot. A victory against one of them and maybe another triumph for good measure could place ‘The Bandit’ in line for the division's golden belt.