Undefeated mixed martial artist Ben “Funky” Askren, 33, of Hartland, Wisconsin, United States is the reigning welterweight world champion of ONE Championship, which is based in Singapore. On September 2, 2017, he will defend the title against Zebaztian “The Bandit” Kadestam , 26, of Stockholm, Sweden in the main event of “ONE Championship: Shanghai” at the Shanghai Oriental Sports Center in Shanghai, China.

Kadestam might have been born and raised in Stockholm but he found his second home 5,792 miles away from his birthplace. With a professional record of 9 wins and 3 losses, he believes that the well-established mixed martial arts scene in the Philippines played a pivotal role in his career and to where he is presently.

In 2012, Kadestam started training out of Legacy Gym in Boracay, Aklan, Philippines under the tutelage of Danish-Filipino kickboxer Ole Laursen. The Swedish MMA fighter 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.

Kadestam’s impressive run in the Philippine MMA circuit served as his footstool to be noticed by ONE Championship, which is widely regarded as the premier organization of the sport in Asia. When asked if the Philippines had a big contribution to his success, Kadestam simply replied, “Definitely, I would not have come to this country if I were not certain of having a career here.”

“The Philippines is my home away from home”, Kadestam said. “It’s a beautiful country. My stay in the Philippines for four years sparkplugged my professional career in the sport. I am grateful for everything that this country has given me.”

A late withdrawal opened up an opportunity for Kadestam to jump to the upper echelon of ONE Championship’s welterweight division. Replacing Vuyisile Colossa, the Swedish MMA fighter defeated former ONE Welterweight World Title challenger Luis “Sapo” Santos of Belem, Para, Brazil on the undercard of “ONE: Dynasty of Heroes” on May 26, 2017.

With a few days to go before facing Askren, Kadestam vows to shock the world once more as he shares the ONE Championship cage with the American champion. The Swedish challenger declared, “I am no pushover.”

“I am not someone’s footstool,” Kadestam continued. “On September 2nd, I will once again shock the world. Ben Askren is only a man and he is beatable. The belt will soon be mine.”