Former ONE welterweight MMA world champion Zebaztian Kadestam has not competed in the last two years, but he has not been out of the sport. He has been busy teaching it, something he said has turned out to be beneficial at this stage of his career.
Kadestam shared this in a recent interview with ONE Championship, in line with his scheduled return to action on May 2 at ONE Fight Night 31: Kongthoranee vs. Nong-O II at the Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
“I’ve been teaching a lot these past two years. And with that, I kind of dissected all the techniques for the hobbyists, or pro fighters, or amateur fighters. And it kind of makes you go through the technique on a deeper level. I believe it’s beneficial.”
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At ONE Fight Night 31, Kadestam will battle Australian-Tongan fighter Isi Fitikefu, with the winner possibly having a world title shot against reigning divisional king Christian Lee next.
The match is going to be the first for the 34-year-old Legacy Gym/Pancrase Gym Sweden standout since his second-round knockout victory over Croatian sensation Roberto Soldic in May 2023 in the United States.
ONE Fight Night 31 is available live at U.S. primetime to North American fans with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.
Zebaztian Kadestam looks to make it a standup game against noted wrestler Isi Fitikefu
Zebaztian Kadestam is aware that he is up against a noted wrestler in Isi Fitikefu at ONE Fight Night 31. He, however, said he has no plans of taking their match to the ground, relying on his reliable striking instead. He made his game plan known in the same interview with ONE Championship, vowing to force his opponent to adjust to his style and not the other way around.
Kadestam said:
“My game plan is always the same. I’ve never wrestled, so I’m never gonna wrestle. And it’s not a secret."
Heading into ONE Fight Night 31, Kadestam won his last three matches, all by way of knockout, to keep his 100 percent finishing rate in ONE Championship intact. Out to clip his streak is Fitikefu, winner of his last two matches after opening his ONE campaign with a narrow loss.
