Hiroyuki Tetsuka sees Zebaztian Kadestam bout as a huge stepping stone towards world title ambition

Hiroyuki Tetsuka trusts that a win over Zebaztian ‘The Bandit’ Kadestam at ONE: Only the Brave will push him closer towards welterweight gold.

The Yamada Dojo-TGFC representative believes he is on the right path to achieve his ambition.

Hiroyuki Tetsuka has already secured a significant victory over former ONE welterweight world title challenger Agilan Thani last year. A win against the man who held the division's championship belt for 15 months on Friday, January 28, should push him as a favorite to contend for the strap.

Hiroyuki Tetsuka shared this in a video uploaded to his YouTube channel:

“I’ll win this and it’s on to the title. I’m getting closer.”

Catch the full video below:

Kadestam is coming off three consecutive losses. In the Swede's last fight, he went down to Russian tank Murad Ramazanov. The Japanese star, on the other hand, is looking to extend his winning streak to two.

‘Japanese Beast’s’ pursuit might have to wait a little longer now as ONE welterweight world champion Kiamrian ‘Brazen’ Abbasov is scheduled to face Reinier ‘The Dutch Knight’ De Ridder.

The Kyrgyzstan fighter faces the Dutchman for the middleweight crown at ONE: Full Circle. The promotion revealed this during the live broadcast of ONE: Heavy Hitters on January 14.

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Hiroyuki Tetsuka: “I want to go against strong looking guys”

Fighters like Agilan, Tyler McGuire, Murad Ramazanov and Gadzhimurad Abdullaev do pack some muscle alongside their technical skills in the Circle. However, none look as fit as ‘Japanese Beast’ and ‘The Bandit’.

While the Japanese welterweight is not honing his MMA tools, the Tochigi native enjoys the outdoors. The 31-year-old loves camping, hiking and even some strength and conditioning workouts in the wild.

His diet regime is another reason why he often looks lean and ripped during his fights in the Singapore-based promotion.

He views Kadestam as a similar athlete and admits he loves going up against strong-looking opponents.

“Kadestam seems intense and strong just based on looks. But at the same time, I wanted to go against strong-looking guys. There’s a thrill to it. It’ll make a great picture when we face off. ‘Japanese Beast’ versus ‘The Bandit’.”

We'll find out who comes out on top when the pair collide at ONE: Only the Brave.