Dagi Arslanaliev looking to take Roberto Soldic into deep waters at ONE 171: Qatar
The 30-year-old is now enjoying the fruits of what is quite literally a lifetime of fighting. Raised from the age of five in a combat sports focussed boarding school, there was only one career path he was going to go on.
Skilled in grappling, wushu, and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Arslanaliev claimed titles across Eastern Europe before making his MMA debut in 2014.
He now boasts a 9-2 pro-MMA record, with four of those wins coming since his ONE Championship debut in 2018. On that day he got people's attention when he starched Timofey Nastyukhin inside two minutes – their rematch three years later would win ONE's Fight of the Year award – and once again it was Dagi who came out on top.
Always a dangerous figure in the lightweight division, Arslanaliev has only lost in ONE MMA to Christian Lee, and he now finds himself up against the hardy Roberto Soldic, looking to knock on Champion Lee's door once again.
And while respecting his German opponent, Arslaniev does see much to worry him ahead of their ONE 171: Qatar bout at the Lusail Arena next week.
'Maybe Soldic is a very tough guy, but I haven't seen anything particularly dangerous from him,' he said. 'I'll just work hard and see how things go. I don't really focus too much on his strengths or weaknesses—I just do my job.'
Soldic has dropped down a weight category to take this fight – but for Arslanaliev, this has no bearing on the outcome.
'It doesn't matter what weight he's at. When we step into the cage, it's just him and me. His supporters and mine stay outside. Whether he moves up or down, it won't affect the fight.
The Turkish fighter has employed no special training for Soldic – just his usual pre-fight campaign, and a readiness to take things deep in the fight – giving the crowd what they have come to expect from this explosive fighter.
'I am preparing in the usual way, just as I always prepare for a good opponent. I prefer to focus on my boxing in particular.
'I can't predict what will happen in the fight, and I won't make any statements because I don't know how things will unfold. My plan is simple: to work off my opponent, capitalize on his mistakes, and keep active the whole time. If the finish comes early, I'll do my best to make it happen.
For me, it would be better to take the fight to the later rounds. That way, when my opponent tires, I can show something special for the audience.'
Speaking of that audience, Arslanaliev can look forward to some boisterous support at the Lusail Arena as he fights on Middle East soil for the first time.
'I'm very pleased to have the chance to fight in the Middle East and for people to fly in and watch,' he said.
'This will be my first fight in Qatar, and I'm excited to meet the Qatari audience.
'To my fans around the world: after a long time, I'm back in the cage. I'm ready to showcase the full arsenal of skills I've built up over the years.'
You can watch Dagi Arslanaliev and Roberto Soldic collide at ONE 171: Qatar, which takes place on Thursday February 20th at 5pm Mecca at the Lusail Sports Arena in Qatar. For ticket information, click here. Alternatively, you can watch the event live on BeIn Sports or at watch.onefc.com.
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