ZEBAZTIAN KADESTAM AND TYLER MCGUIRE FACE-OFF AT ONE: WARRIOR’S DREAM OPEN WORKOUT
ONE Championship™ (ONE) held the ONE: WARRIOR’S DREAM Official Face-Off and Open Workout on Wednesday at the Jakarta Muay Thai & MMA Gym.
In attendance were main event competitors Zebaztian “The Bandit” Kadestam of Sweden and undefeated Tyler McGuire of the United States. Both Kadestam and McGuire will be competing for the vacant ONE Welterweight World Championship.
Also in attendance at the Open Workout were ONE Championship athletes Nieky Holzken, Cosmo Alexandre, Priscilla Hertati Lumban Gaol, and Angelie Sabanal.
Zebaztian Kadestam, ONE Athlete, stated: “I feel extremely confident heading into this next bout. I have learned many lessons from my experience in competing for the title against Ben Askren a year ago. Now, I have come out as a much improved martial artist. There are a lot of things that I can still improve on, and I’m getting better everyday. I’ve been training hard, and I feel good, so I feel confident in this fight. Tyler McGuire is a strong guy with good stamina. The first couple of rounds is going to be tough, so I have to be careful. He’s going to try to take me down, but I’ve prepared my defense well. Then it’s just a matter of going out there and having fun. I’m used to things being rough and tough. I’ve never had an easy fight in my whole career.”
Tyler McGuire, ONE Athlete, stated: “To receive the opportunity to win a World Title in ONE Championship is an absolute honor. It means you are among the world’s best. I have prepared very hard for this fight, and now I want to showcase the results of my hard work. Zebaztian Kadestam is a real tough guy, and I know he’s going to come to fight. That’s exactly what I want and I don’t expect anything less. I know he thinks I can’t hurt him with my striking, but my striking is underrated. Let’s see. I consider myself a complete martial artist. Of course, my main arsenal is still my ground game, and if there is an opportunity to take him down, I’ll maximize it. But if we are going to stand up and trade, then I’m prepared for that.”
Former PXC Welterweight Champion Zebaztian “The Bandit” Kadestam started training in Muay Thai when he was 12 years old and later embarked on a highly successful professional career in the sport.
Soon, he explored other disciplines, as he trained at the Pancrase Gym in Stockholm, and also traveled to the Philippines to sharpen his skills at the Legacy Gym in Boracay under famed martial artist Ole Laursen.
Though he was unsuccessful in a bid for the welterweight title against former champion Ben Askren, Kadestam does own two high-profile victories over top contenders Luis Santos and Agilan Thani. His latest performance against Thani saw Kadestam exhibit his incredible striking skills to finish the young Malaysian by TKO. Up next, Kadestam takes on Tyler McGuire for the vacant ONE Welterweight World Championship.
Undefeated American mixed martial artist Tyler McGuire of Washington, USA, is a submission specialist who trains out of Sik-Jitsu Fighting Systems in Spokane. With an unblemished 11-0 professional record, the 32-year-old owns seven victories by way of submission.
Known for his ability to display creative grappling techniques, McGuire finds himself travelling halfway across the globe to Asia, where he plans to showcase his skills on the global stage of martial arts competition. In his most recent outing, McGuire took on the dangerous Luis Santos in a tough three-round battle to win via unanimous decision.
The performance was impressive enough to earn McGuire a title shot, as he takes on Zebaztian Kadestam in Jakarta for the vacant ONE Welterweight World Championship.
