Roberto Soldic has confirmed his ONE Championship contract has officially expired, making the Croatian knockout artist a free agent. The former KSW two-division champion went 1-1-1 during his ONE tenure and had previously turned down a UFC offer in 2022. Now 31, Soldic — the only man to knock out UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis — is expected to attract fresh interest from major promotions including the UFC.
Roberto Soldic has confirmed that his contract with ONE Championship has run its course, leaving the Croatian finisher without a promotional home and free to negotiate with any organization worldwide.
Soldic, 31, built his reputation as one of the most dangerous knockout artists in European MMA before joining ONE Championship. He arrived with considerable pedigree, having won titles in two separate weight classes under the KSW banner. His tenure in ONE proved uneven, producing a record of 1-1-1 across three appearances, but his marketability has never been in question. Soldic notably turned down an approach from the UFC in 2022, a decision that drew significant attention at the time given the organization's stature. With his contract now expired, that calculation may look different.
Part of what makes Soldic's free agency genuinely compelling is his place in the career history of Dricus du Plessis, the current UFC middleweight champion. Soldic is the only man to have knocked out Du Plessis, a distinction that carries weight given where the South African now stands. Du Plessis, ranked second in the UFC middleweight division and seventh pound-for-pound at age 32, has developed into one of the sport's elite fighters, landing 5.21 significant strikes per minute with 48 percent accuracy and adding a credible takedown threat at 1.9 per fifteen minutes. That Soldic put him away cleanly is a detail no promotional pitch will leave unmentioned.
Why it matters
- Soldic's expiration from ONE Championship opens negotiations with every major promotion simultaneously
- His knockout of the reigning UFC middleweight champion gives him immediate name value in any market
- The UFC previously extended an offer in 2022, raising the question of whether fresh talks will follow
- A two-division KSW title reign signals elite regional credentials that translate into divisional intrigue at welterweight or middleweight
