Swedish ONE welterweight fighter feels at home in Philippines

MANILA, Philippines — Welterweight contender Zebastian Kadestam may have been born and raised in Stockholm, Sweden, but he now takes pride in representing his second home: the Philippines.

With a professional record of 9-3, Kadestam believes that the country’s mixed martial arts scene played a pivotal role in his career and to where he is presently.

The 26-year-old striker raised his ONE Championship stock training out of Legacy Gym in Boracay, Aklan.

“Definitely, I would not have come to this country if I were not certain of having a career here,” Kadestam said. “The Philippines is my home away from home. It’s a beautiful country. My stay in the Philippines for four years spark-plugged my professional career in the sport.”

Kadestam had four exciting bouts in the Philippines, including an 11-second stoppage of Finnish rival Glenn Sparv in April 2016 to capture the welterweight championship of a regional promotion.

A late withdrawal opened up an opportunity for Kadestam to jump to the upper echelon of ONE Championship’s welterweight division.

After Vuyisile Colossa was forced to withdraw from his bout, Kadestam agreed to replace him ona two weeks notice and test his mettle with former Welterweight World Title challenger Luis Santos in the undercard of “Dynasty of Heroes” last May.

Kadestam made headlines when he defeated Santos as the little-known Swede had been completely dominated in the opening two rounds of the contest before pulling off a miraculous knockout in the final stanza.

“The Bandit” turned the tide midway of the third. He then landed a pair of hard knees to compel the referee to call a halt in the third and final frame.

Kadestam’s astounding victory over Santos swiftly earned him a world title opportunity as he is set to lock horns with the toughest opponent of his professional career in Ben Askren.

Both men are set to face each other in the main event of the card in Shaghai, China, which unfolds this coming Saturday, September 2.

With a few days to go before the biggest bout in his prizefighting stint, Kadestam vows to shock the world once more cage with Askren, who is universally recognized as one of the best welterweights in the world today with an immaculate record of 16-0.

“I am no pushover. I am not someone’s footstool. I will once again shock the world. Ben Askren is only a man, and he is beatable. The belt will soon be mine,” Kadestam declared

Askren, for his part, is coming off a spectacular first-round submission triumph over Malaysia’s Agilan Thani last May to keep his unbeaten record intact.

Despite the uphill task of defeating Askren, there is not an ounce of doubt in Kadestam’s mind.

“I wish I could sit there with some popcorn and watch this fight myself,” he stressed. “It is going to be a war.”