Roberto Soldić’s UFC debut has been years in the making. When he became a free agent in 2022, he was one of the most coveted fighters outside the promotion, with KSW, UFC and ONE Championship all vying for his signature.
He ultimately chose ONE, attracted by the money, the opportunity to build his legacy and the chance to compete across multiple combat sports.
Four years and just three ONE fights later, “Robocop” has reached the Octagon. His UFC 332 matchup with Khaos Williams gives him a chance to regain the momentum that once made him such a marquee signing.
The KSW Run That Put Soldić in Demand
By 2022, Soldić held KSW’s welterweight and middleweight titles simultaneously and was riding a seven-fight winning streak. He had beaten Mamed Khalidov, Patrik Kincl, Michał Materla and future UFC champion Dricus du Plessis along the way. 17 of his 20 wins had come by knockout or TKO. So it’s easy to see why promotions were lining up to sign him.
The significance of Soldić’s KSW run is also worth considering. Poland is one of Europe’s biggest MMA markets, and KSW has built its reputation by staging major events in the country’s biggest arenas.
Its ability to consistently draw large crowds has helped establish it as one of Europe’s premier MMA promotions, while its alumni include the aforementioned Dricus du Plessis, plus Jan Błachowicz and Mateusz Gamrot as just some of the KSW title holders to become UFC mainstays.
For Soldić to have emerged from that environment as a two-division champion only strengthened his reputation as one of the continent’s most accomplished fighters.
KSW, UFC and ONE Championship were all courting him for his signature. In the end he chose ONE, citing money, legacy and the opportunity to compete across multiple combat sports as reasons for his decision.
Four Years, Three Fights
But the career path Soldić envisioned never quite materialised.
He competed just three times under the ONE banner and, despite the promotion’s promise of opportunities across multiple combat sports, never fought in another discipline for ONE. His final ONE Championship appearance came in February 2025, when he knocked out Dagi Arslanaliev in the first round.
Soldić did step into the boxing ring while under contract though, knocking out former world champion Tomasz Adamek in an exhibition bout at FAME. Despite this, the occasional appearance was no substitute for the regular MMA competition that had made him the hottest ticket in the sport a few years prior.
By the time he signed with the UFC, more than a year had passed since his last MMA fight. The fighter who had once seemed destined for the Octagon now had to prove he could rediscover the form that had made him one of the sport’s most sought-after free agents.
Embracing the Khaos
Soldić won’t get a quiet introduction. Williams is a dangerous veteran with a willingness to trade, making him the kind of opponent capable of testing Soldić immediately while also giving the Croatian an opportunity to showcase the qualities that made him such a high-profile signing.
For Williams, meanwhile, spoiling one of the UFC’s most anticipated international arrivals would make for a significant statement of his own.
At 31 years old, Soldić still has time to build a meaningful UFC run, but this isn’t simply about adding another win to his record. After so much inactivity, his performance against Williams will provide the first indication of whether the fighter who once dominated KSW can rediscover the form that first put him on the UFC’s radar. He is also presenting himself to a whole new audience, and first impressions matter.
This performance will set the tone for “Robocop’s” UFC career.
The stakes are heightened by the platform he’s been given. Soldić debuts in a prominent main-card slot on a numbered event that will air free on CBS in the United States, in a fan-friendly matchup in which the bookmakers have installed him as a sizeable favorite.
The placement suggests the UFC sees an opportunity to introduce Soldić to a large audience immediately rather than slowly build him through the prelims. It’s a significant platform for a fighter making his debut, one that reflects the reputation that he built up prior to stepping foot in the Octagon. Its put him in pole position to announce himself on MMA’s biggest circuit.
Of course, Williams will have other ideas. For him, beating one of Europe’s most highly regarded fighters would provide a significant addition to his own résumé on such a significant stage.
A Familiar Path for KSW Champions
Soldić isn’t the only former two-division KSW champion to receive a prominent UFC debut.
Salahdine Parnasse followed a remarkably similar path, building his reputation outside the UFC before making the move to the Octagon. For his debut, Parnasse was handed a main event in his native France against veteran Dan Hooker — and stopped him in the first round. Now Soldić gets his own opportunity to make an immediate impression.
That isn’t the only similarity between Soldić and Parnasse. Both chose to continue building their careers outside the UFC when they had the opportunity to take a different route. They bet on themselves, competing for organizations with less global pull than the UFC and banking on their performances to increase their value before eventually making the jump.
It is a path that has precedent. Michael Chandler and Justin Gaethje similarly built their reputations outside the UFC before arriving as established stars rather than prospects. In both cases, the decision to stay elsewhere led to the UFC treating them as premium coups when they eventually snagged their signatures.
UFC Changing Its Recruitment Strategy?
Soldić’s signing may also point to a broader change in the UFC’s recruitment strategy. For years, some of the world’s best fighters outside the UFC have chosen to build their careers elsewhere. Soldić was one of them.
There are signs that the UFC is becoming increasingly aggressive in recruiting established international talent. Over the last few months they’ve also signed the likes of Magomedrasul Gasanov, Asaf Chopurov and Abubakar Vagaev in direct-to-UFC deals.
This crop from 2026 aren’t alone. Kai Asakura arrived in the UFC as a former multi-time RIZIN champion and immediately walked into a title shot against Alexandre Pantoja. Reinier de Ridder also entered the promotion as a former two-division ONE champion, facing established UFC veteran Gerald Meerschaert in a co-headliner for his promotional debut.
Putting fighters like Soldić, Parnasse, Asakura and de Ridder in meaningful positions suggests the UFC isn’t just signing established international talent; they’re willing to invest in them immediately and give them opportunities to make an instant impact.
For Soldić, though, the bigger story isn’t the UFC’s recruitment strategy. It’s finally getting the opportunity that seemed inevitable four years ago. He left KSW as a two-division champion and one of the most highly touted free agents in the sport.
Four years, three ONE Championship fights, two years between his final bouts, and one exhibition boxing fight later, he finally gets his chance on MMA’s biggest stage against Khaos Williams in his first test.
After the long and winding road to the UFC, Soldić finally has the opportunity to demonstrate why everyone wanted him in the first place.
