“UFC gave me a good offer, but ONE Championship is the biggest” - Roberto Soldic on why he chose ONE

During his appearance on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, former KSW two-division champion Roberto Soldic announced that he had signed with ONE Championship. As one of the hottest free agents in recent history, the Croatian slugger was courted by multiple promotions but he ultimately found that ONE fit his ambitions of being a multi-sport champion and competing against the best talent in the world.

During the interview, Soldic discussed offers that he had received from other promotions and why he believes ONE Championship is the place to be.

“You know, ONE Championship gave me so many solutions. I said ‘I want to do kickboxing’, they said ‘Okay.’ I want to do something new. UFC gave me a good offer, but ONE Championship is the biggest martial arts [organization] in the world.”

While the promotion has yet to announce an official debut for Roberto Soldic, it sounds like October is the likeliest scenario. Following Soldic’s appearance on The MMA Hour, the Croatian appeared with the ONE Championship CEO at a press conference in Croatia to announce an event to be held there on October 21 at Arena Zagreb.

What’s more interesting is that according to Soldic, his first opponent could be ‘The Underground King’, Eddie Alvarez. Out of action since April 28, 2021, Alvarez has teased a return before the end of the year, but no date has been confirmed. Could the two possibly be meeting in the fall?

---

Roberto Soldic is ready to prove he’s the best by competing with the best in the world

Roberto Soldic has already achieved an unprecedented level of excellence in his eight-year career as a professional mixed martial artist. In 20 career wins, Soldic has an insane 17 wins by way of knockout and one via submission. Soldic claimed both the welterweight and middleweight titles in his former home of KSW, the premier MMA organization of Poland and one of the top in Europe.

Joining the ONE Championship family, Soldic is excited for the opportunity to test himself against the best combat sports athletes in the world and intends to “take all the belts” in his hunt for greatness.

“I think I have the biggest challenge in ONE Championship, this is what I think and [also] many people who understand the combat game. When I was in Singapore, and when I saw the fighters, it’s on another level from [other] organizations. Now, I want to try to take these belts. I want to be the best in the world.”

The fighters of ONE Championship will be a significant step up in competition for Roberto Soldic, but the Croatian striker is more than ready for the challenge.