ALL martial artists have to endure periods of difficulty, whether it is in their training or their own lives growing up. But the world’s best are conditioned to accept the obstacles that are presented to them, and use the skills they have learned through years of training to overcome adversity and move forward.
This is best illustrated inside the ONE Championship with the remarkable remarkable comeback performance of Zebaztian “The Bandit” Kadestam against Luis “Sapo” Santos which also served to recharge his declining MMA career.
Making your promotional debut under the bright lights of the ONE cage is a daunting task, but it was even more taxing for the Swedish welterweight. After all, he was stepping in on just two weeks’ notice to take on a Brazilian powerhouse in Santos at ONE: Dynasty of Heroes in May.
Santos, a former welterweight world title challenger, dominated the first round and appeared to be cruising in the second as he continued to hold the upper hand in both the striking and grappling departments.
Matched up against a short-notice opponent, the Brazilian was clearly keen to earn a stoppage finish and make a definitive statement to the rest of the welterweight division. But those efforts to finish Kadestam started to take their toll on Santos’ gas tank, and “The Bandit” took full advantage in dramatic fashion.
The Swede successfully stuffed a slower-than-usual takedown attempt from the Brazilian, then lit him up with punches before finishing an exhausted Santos with two huge knees to cap an astonishing upset – and clearly ONE Championship’s best comeback bout of the year.
“I never got frustrated in that match. I was just very focused, and knew nothing would come easy against him. My confidence grew stronger round by round,” he said, recalling the bout.
“My mindset was to go after it. I knew I had to finish to get the victory. I tried to put on a lot of pressure right away. He just tried to wrestle, but I could feel he was tired, so I kept getting back to my feet, and kept the pressure on until the opening came.”