The wait is finally over. After four years of rumors and negotiations, Croatia’s top MMA talent Roberto ‘Robocop’ Soldić has signed with the UFC. The 31-yeard old fighter with a record of 21-4 touts an impressive record as a double champ at 170 and 185 lbs within the regional powerhouse promotion, KSW and later had a decent stint with ONE FC. Notably, Soldić knocked out former UFC Middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis to claim one of those KSW belts. Soldić will make the walk in Utah on UFC 332’s main card at 170 lbs (Welterweight) against UFC Veteran Khaos Williams (16-5) who holds a 7-4 record within the UFC.
Robocop stands out as Croatia’s most established MMA talent in his current generation, and with a win has a strong chance to enter the UFC rankings alongside fellow Croatians like Ante Delija and Brando Peričić. However, before entering the rankings discussion Soldić will have to get through the tough veteran Khaos Williams who has earned a reputation of being a durable brawler who has only been finished once in his career. While Williams’s resume is hardly impressive, he serves as the perfect benchmark test for Robocop to gauge his skills against the caliber of UFC mainstays like Khaos. Notably, the UFC is also capitalizing off of the name value of Soldić by placing the fight on the main card of a UFC numbered event (formerly pay-per-view events) which is an impressive feat for Robocop as debutant.
Should Robocop win, the pathway to UFC gold will not get any easier, as Soldić is entering into one of the UFC’s most competitive division at Welterweight. This is a stacked division topped by UFC double-champ and #1 pound-for-pound fighter Islam Makhachev. Chasing his belt, are big name fighters like Carlos Prates, Michael Morales and more. Another name that would draw attention as a potential follow-up match up should Robocop win would be against Serbia’s Uroš Medić which would certainly restart the MMA buzz that has died off since the days of Stipe.
