KSW kingpin Roberto Soldic flirts with ‘dream’ future UFC move: ‘I want to test myself in the U.S.A.’
Two-weight KSW champion, Roberto Soldic has revealed he has just a single fight left on his current contract with the organization, and has admitted that he has always dreamt of competing under the UFC’s banner amid consistent links with the North American-based organization.
Soldic, the current undisputed welterweight and middleweight champion under the KSW banner, headlined the promotion’s December event, stopping veteran kingpin, Mamed Khalidov with a stunning second round knockout in Gliwice, Poland.
20-3 as a professional, the devastating knockout artist is undefeated in his last seven consecutive outings, scoring 17 knockout stoppages over the course of his 23 fight professional career.
The Croatian striker has competed nine times under the scrutiny of KSW, and beyond a title defeat to current UFC contender, Dricus du Plessis – which he later avenged in an immediate rematch, Soldic has embarked on a seven fight run of consecutive wins.
A one-time Cage Warriors veteran, Soldic has revealed he retains just one more fight as part of a 10 fight deal with KSW. And ahead of scheduled talks with the promotional leaders following the completion of his contractual obligations, Soldic has revealed he has always had a keen eye on an eventual transition to the UFC.
“I have one more fight in KSW,” Roberto Soldic told MMA Junkie. “In July, it will end my contract. My manager needs to talk with (the) boss of KSW, Martin Lewandowski, and Maciej Kawulski. They need to talk and we’llsee. For me, I want to test with the best in the world. The best in the world is UFC. I want to test myself in the U.S.A. because it’s champions’ league.”
Soldic claimed that a move to the UFC allows fighters to form themselves into a “superstar”, given the viewership that comes with fighting under the promotion’s banner.
“People always think it’s all UFC,” Roberto Soldic said. “… It’s hard to explain. UFC is UFC. It’s number one. When I started MMA, we watched UFC. This is (the) dream. When I go in America, when I spar with the guys, they know what KSW is but nobody watches it. In Europe, they follow a lot. … We have really good pay-per-views and really good public full of fans (in) the arena. Everything is good because we live in Europe and it’s a European organization. You can be a big, big star – a superstar. In Europe, you have one maximum and that’s it.”
“… People give me respect but also they don’t because, ‘Who fights Roberto (Soldic)? What is that guy? What is KSW? What is this?’ Go in the cage with KSW fighters and fight. … One time, one day, when I go in the UFC, nothing will surprise me because I see everything. Some guys love you. Other guys, they don’t because they say, ‘UFC is the best.’ for example, or, ‘Go to PFL.’ But most of them, they respect me and my country. That’s enough for me.”
Before his December win over Khalidov, the 27-year-old Soldic successfully defended his welterweight title on two separate occasions with knockout wins over both Patrik Kincl, and Krystian Kaszubowski.
Senior writer for FightBook MMA. An aspiring mixed martial arts reporter based in Ireland. Producer of news articles, interviews, opinion features, and exclusive features such as, ‘The Fallout’, ‘The Breakdown, and, ‘This Week In MMA’.
