Roberto Soldic Hopes For World Title Shot After One-Punch KO of Dagi Arslanaliev at ONE 171: Qatar

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We are only two months into 2025, and Roberto Soldic has already made a strong case for a Knockout of the Year contender. The Croatian superstar's devastating one-punch destruction sent shockwaves across the combat sports world.

On 20 February, "Robocop" demolished Dagi Arslanaliev with a powerful left hand at ONE 171: Qatar. This was Soldic's first ONE Championship victory. Making his comeback after 21 months away, he put the entire welterweight MMA division on notice.

Soldic was elated after his memorable win against a formidable opponent. He said the victory wasn't surprising because he knows what he's capable of. Now, the 30-year-old hopes to fight for the ONE Welterweight MMA World Title very soon.

"It feels good. I feel amazing. It is what I do, always. I mean, I'm not surprised about that, because I know what I can do, so I keep going. Sometimes you have ups and downs in life, in your career also, but now everything is all right," Soldic said. "I said before, the future is mine, and when I step into the cage, I will be a big problem for anyone. And I hope I fight for the title."

In the opening minute of the fight, Arslanaliev came out aggressively while Soldic remained cautious. The Croatian, however, waited for the perfect shot to land, and he delivered it flawlessly. His picture-perfect left hand sent his rival face-first into the canvas.

Even after landing that killer punch, Soldic followed up with a few ground-and-pound strikes. There, the referee threw himself in to stop him from inflicting more damage. Some argued that those final shots weren't necessary, but Soldic thought otherwise.

"Some of the teammates asked me, 'Why you hit [him] on the ground?'" he said. "But this was still in the fight. The referee was on my back. I didn't see him. You have to finish the guy. You know, the referee is there to help him. That's it."