UFC Reportedly Close to Signing Decorated MMA Star That Knocked Out Dricus du Plessis

Who would you like to see "Robocop" face in his UFC debut?

(Zuffa LLC)

The UFC is reportedly working on signing one of more decorated names in European MMA to potentially debut at the promotion’s upcoming card in Serbia.

After returning to Perth, Western Australia to kick off May, the UFC closed the month out with another international card last weekend when the Octagon touched down in Macau for a UFC Fight Night event that saw Song Yadong secure the biggest win of his career and submit former UFC flyweight titleholder Deiveson Figueiredo to close out the card.

The UFC will also return to Azerbaijan and Abu Dhabi as part of what’s shaping up to be a stacked summer slate, and on August 1 the promotion is slated to hold its first-ever event in Belgrade, Serbia.

Roberto Soldić Stopped Dricus du Plessis in KSW Title Rematch

The card is already loaded with European talent, and Maciej Tusrki reports that the UFC is currently working on signing former KSW and ONE Championship star Roberto Soldić to either debut at UFC Serbia or possibly enter the Octagon for the first time the following month.

Roberto Soldić punches Zebaztian Kadestam at ONE Fight Night 10. | (ONE Championship)

Boasting a 21-4 record in professional MMA, Soldić claimed the KSW welterweight title in his debut for the top Polish promotion in 2017 before he was unseated by future UFC titleholder Dricus du Plessis the following year. “Robocop” reclaimed his KSW belt by stopping the South African in their immediate rematch, which stood as Du Plessis’ last loss until he relinquished the UFC middleweight belt to Khamzat Chimaev in his most recent outing at UFC 319.

Soldić went on to defend his welterweight belt twice and also knocked out KSW legend Mamed Khalidov to win the promotion’s middleweight title and close out his KSW career in 2021.

"Robocop" Moved on From ONE Championship Last Year

A high-profile move to ONE Championship didn’t end up panning out as well as the Croatian or his fans were hoping for, as his debut against Murad Ramazanov ended in a No Contest due to a groin strike before he was stopped by Zebaztian Kadestam in a massive upset at ONE Fight Night 10.

Roberto Soldić during his time with ONE Championship. | (ONE Championship)

Soldić returned to the cage after a lengthy layoff at ONE 171: Qatar, and picked up his first win since stopping Khalidov when he knocked out Dagi Arslanliev in just under two minutes. That ended up being his final fight for ONE Championship, and the 31-year-old went on to win his professional boxing debut against Tomasz Adamek last September.

Roberto Soldić knocked out Dagi Arslanliev in his last MMA fight. | (ONE Championship)

MMA fans that have been waiting for Soldić to join the UFC would be happy to see him debut on any card this year, but adding “Robocop” to UFC Belgrade would be a massive addition to an event that already features a number of major Europeans stars.