Martial arts fans worldwide are celebrating the signing of Roberto Soldic to ONE Championship. The Croatian-born 'Robocop' was a two-division champion in KSW before joining the world’s largest martial arts organization.
27-year-old Soldic has experience in both professional MMA and boxing. In a recent ONE Championship press conference in Croatia, reporters asked how the lethal striker would fare in a boxing match against popular YouTuber Jake Paul.
ONE Championship Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong responded:
“If Jake Paul ends up becoming a superstar in boxing and really becomes a real boxing champion, I would love to put Roberto with Jake Paul. I don't think it's going to last more than one round, to be honest. Roberto is too good, too slick, too powerful for Jake Paul. But, again, I never say never. I'll keep it open.”
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Sityodtong also added that any ONE Championship fighter should be able to handle 'The Problem Child' Paul with ease. He explained:
“For me, ONE represents the very best in the world. Best of the best in everything, ok. I will never say never against a popular YouTuber, but I'm telling you, our roster will destroy a YouTuber. There's just no chance, because we have the best of the best in the world in every combat sport. And I want to keep this authenticity. ONE represents the No.1, the very best in the world.”
Jake Paul is a YouTube celebrity who picked up the boxing gloves in 2020. Since then, 'The Problem Child' has put together a 5-0 record with notable wins over former ONE welterweight world champion Ben Askren, former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley, and retired NBA star Nate Robinson.
However, Paul has never faced a legit striker like Soldic and one who has the power that ‘Robocop’ possesses in his fists.
Why Roberto Soldic chose ONE Championship
The Croatian-born 'Robocop' Roberto Soldic is undoubtedly a great addition to the ONE Championship roster. He held the welterweight and middleweight titles in KSW and was undefeated in professional boxing.
Soldic holds a professional MMA record of 20-3, with 17 of his 20 wins coming by way of KO/TKO and one submission. He is a skilled southpaw striker with tons of power in his kicks and punches.
Soldic explained why he left KSW and signed with ONE. While speaking to Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, he stated that it was because of how many opportunities ONE offered:
“I chose ONE because it’s the biggest martial arts promotion in the world. They give me opportunity to take all the belts: kickboxing world champion, Muay Thai world champion, MMA world champion, also boxing world champion. So this makes me something new. I want to create something for my people, for my own legacy. So I chose ONE for sure."
Roberto Soldic is expected to make his highly anticipated ONE debut later this year.