“We used to play outside” – Roberto Soldic appreciates parents for giving him a "good childhood"

Roberto Soldic is just hours away from making his highly-anticipated debut appearance for ONE Championship.

After signing with the promotion in August, Soldic will make his first walk to the circle to take on undefeated Russian grappler Murad Ramazanov.

Ahead of his appearance at ONE on Prime Video 5 this Friday night, the Croatian sensation spoke with ONE Championship about his younger years. Specifically, growing up without many of the distractions kids are surrounded by today, like smartphones:

“I had a good childhood because we used to play outside – not like today, you know, with the, with the phones and everything. We were outside more and [living] this kind of childhood.”

Roberto Soldic’s opponent this Friday night shared a similar sentiment in another interview with ONE Championship:

“I used to wrestle in the streets with other boys. It was normal. I am happy that I had a childhood without a mobile phone, without social networks, but with a lot of face-to-face communication and fun.”

ONE on Prime Video 5: De Ridder vs. Malykhin broadcasts live on Friday, December 2, and is free for fans in the United States and Canada with an Amazon Prime subscription.

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Roberto Soldic is ready for a tough test in his ONE Championship debut

When Roberto Soldic heads to the circle on Friday night, there will be a very tough test waiting for him in the undefeated Murad Ramazanov. Thrown to the wolves right off the bat, Soldic is happy to face a monumental challenge on his debut. Speaking to ONE Championship, Soldic said:

“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.”

While Soldic is getting an especially difficult fight in his first outing under the ONE Championship banner, there is an added incentive to win. The two warriors will compete in what could very well be a title eliminator, with the winner getting a shot at newly-crowned ONE welterweight world champion Christian Lee.

Will Roberto Soldic score a world title opportunity with his debut performance or will the pressure of competing on the global stage be too much for the Croatian sensation to overcome?