You never know the battle someone is facing in their own mind, and even elite martial artists like Zebaztian Kadestam deal with difficult struggles that are invisible to those around them.
The former welterweight king, who returns in an MMA lightweight clash against Iuri Lapicus a UNO 160: Ok vs. Lee II on August 26, he always seems ready to take on the world when he enters the Circle.
However, he admits there have been incredibly difficult times where he can barely face the day ahead, something he now speaks about openly.
“The Bandit” revealed:
“Around the time I won the world title, something happened to my mental state. I was depressed and went through quite a difficult time in my personal life. He didn’t want to go outside. He didn’t want to be surrounded by people. I was really in a bad place mentally. I was dealing with a lot of anxiety and depression, and it was a difficult time.”
Preparing to compete on the world stage is already one of the most demanding jobs imaginable, and it only gets more difficult when an internal war is being waged.
But luckily for Kadestam, MMA became his biggest source of motivation to keep going in his most challenging moments.
The Swedish star told ONE Championship:
“When you’re in a really dark spot, it takes the life out of you. If I don’t even want to wake up, if I don’t even want to get out of bed, if I don’t even want to go out, how am I going to go through wars every day? [in the gym]?
“I never felt like, ‘I don’t want to fight,’ because I do want to fight. It’s just a matter of how much struggle is really inside of you. And now I feel like I’m back where the fire is burning.
“This is what I love to do. Nothing excites me more than fighting. Without fighting, I would not have been able to overcome what I went through. I think that’s the change.”
Zebaztian Kadestam ‘Feeling happy to be alive’
After winning and defending the ONE Welterweight World Title, Zebaztian Kadestam lost the belt to Kiamrian Abbaşov in October 2019 and then went on a three-fight losing streak.
However, not all losses are created equal.
Before him returned to the path of victory against Valmir da Silva a ONE: FULL CIRCLE in February, “The Bandit” fell in a three-round contest to Murad Ramazanov. Even in defeat, he felt mentally on track.
Kadestam explained:
“If you watch the Murad fight, you might want to say, ‘Oh, that was a good night for him,’ but it felt good. I thought, ‘Okay, we could go a couple more rounds.’
“I felt like I made some mistakes or whatever, but the preparation was great. I was in a good mood, I felt happy to be there, I felt happy to be alive and to be able to do what I love to do. And that’s how I’m supposed to feel.”
Like many people struggling with mental health, it remains a constant struggle for Kadestam.
At the same time, you are now better equipped to recognize the signs and begin to deal with your problems before they completely consume you.
Doing so has made it easier for the Swede to appreciate all that he has, and he hopes that others will not hesitate to ask for help if faced with a similar situation.
“The Bandit” added:
“The past year I’ve been trying to fix that and just get back to enjoying life. I still have days where I’m like, ‘Fuck this,’ and I can’t put my finger on it, there’s no event or situation or anything. Sometimes it comes and takes hold of me.
“But what I’ve learned is that if I quit, I’m going to be in that dark spot for a long time. And I never want to go back there. So I’m learning to get over it.”
