Croatian sensation Roberto Soldic had a rough start to his ONE Championship journey but in his last fight, he reminded fans what he is truly capable of, knocking out Dagi Arslanaliev of Turkey in the opening round of their MMA clash.
The two collided at ONE 171: Qatar in February last year in a welterweight showdown. It marked the return of ‘Robocop’ in the ‘Home of Martial Arts’ after two years.
Soldic did not waste time making a statement in his return to match in ONE, finishing the contest late in the opening round with a devastating, well-timed counter left that sent Arslanaliev crashing to the canvas unconscious. The impressive win was shortlisted as among the best KO finishes in 2025.
ONE Championship looked back to the epic KO finish in an Instagram post, showing a carousel of video angles of Soldic’s one-punch masterpiece.
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Prior to the win, Soldic had two previous matches in ONE Championship that did not turn out well for him.
The first was his debut in the promotion in ONE on Prime Video 5 in December 2022, which ended in a no-contest after he was unable to continue following an accidental low blow. In his second match in May 2023 at ONE Fight Night 10, he was knocked out by former ONE welterweight MMA world champion Zebaztian Kadestam in the second round.
Roberto Soldic fires warning after win over Dagi Arslanaliev
The win over Dagi Arslanaliev was a warning by Roberto Soldic that he is back doing what he does best following a reflection on the rough start he had in ONE Championship.
He spoke about it in an interview with the promotion, highlighting that he has learned from his previous matches and made the necessary adjusments in his game and mindset.
Soldic said:
“It feels good. I feel amazing. It is what I do always. This is my job, you know, and I’m not surprised because I know what I can do. I’ll keep going. Sometimes you have in life ups and downs, but now, everything is alright.”
The 30-year-old UFD Gym standout went on to say:
“Sometimes it’s good to take some breaks from the fights. I missed [competing] now. Twenty months is enough time. I did my job. I performed. It’s nothing new for me.”
Now back on the winning track, Roberto Soldic is hunting for gold, looking to have a shot next at the welterweight MMA world title in the possession of Christian Lee.
Edited by Saiyed Adeem Karim