Roberto Soldic says he follows a similar trajectory with Cro Cop

Roberto Soldic shook up the MMA world last year when he announced that his free agent status was now over as he had signed with ONE Championship.

The former two-division world champion in KSW established his name as one of the hottest competitors in Europe through an incredible run with the promotion where he racked up a highlight reel of knockout finishes.

His ONE Championship debut failed to live up to the hype through no fault of his own as an unintentional foul that he was caught with forced the referee to wave the fight off, producing a no contest.

At ONE Fight Night 10, Soldic will look to put his debut in the rear view mirror when he faces off against Zebaztian Kadestam on May 5.

The Croatian is no stranger to adversity and things have not always been laid out simply in front of him. In a recent interview with MMA Sucka on YouTube, he reflected on his journey into MMA and how his early career reflected that of Croatia’s most beloved combat sports export, Mirko Cro Cop:

“There are only a few per cent of people who can do this. My village had like 200 to 300 people and few houses. It was a very small village. When I started this, I was alone. Like Cro Cop, what he did before if you watched his documentary. This is the same as everything. Small village, no money, you just train. You run 10 kilometers, do push-ups, some judo but not so professional.” [18:28 onwards]

He added:

“Then they offered me a fight and I [beat] the guy with a left hook. I kept that hard work. Of course, the internet helped me a lot to get contacts.”

Watch the full interview below from

Roberto Soldic will take on Zebaztian Kadestam at ONE Fight Night 10 on May 5. The entire event will air live and free via Prime Video for North American viewers.