{"id":186820,"date":"2025-10-03T06:29:07","date_gmt":"2025-10-03T06:29:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/186820\/"},"modified":"2025-10-03T06:29:07","modified_gmt":"2025-10-03T06:29:07","slug":"zebaztian-kadestam-details-how-mma-saved-his-life-a-really-dark-story","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/186820\/","title":{"rendered":"Zebaztian Kadestam details how MMA saved his life: “A really dark story”"},"content":{"rendered":"

Teaching shapes warriors differently than competing ever could, and Zebaztian Kadestam discovered his true calling beyond championship glory. The Swedish striker dedicates himself to molding Sweden\u2019s next generation of world champions through lessons learned from overcoming darkness.<\/p>\n

Kadestam faces Aung La N Sang in middleweight MMA at ONE Fight Night 36: Prajanchai vs. Di Bella II on Prime Video<\/a> on Friday, October 3, inside Bangkok, Thailand\u2019s Lumpinee Stadium. The 34-year-old former welterweight champion makes his middleweight debut against the Myanmar icon concluding his legendary career.<\/p>\n

Mental health struggles defined Kadestam\u2019s journey before martial arts provided salvation. The former champion never shied away from discussing vulnerabilities, understanding that transformation into strength creates foundations for mentoring young athletes.<\/p>\n

Coaching children and teenagers up to 14 years old at Allstars Training Center in Solna became his calling. That role developed naturally over a decade rather than arriving suddenly as an afterthought.<\/p>\n

Tough lessons from overcoming the darkest period of his life now guide how he connects with students walking through his gym doors. When personal struggles overwhelm him, training\u2019s familiar rhythm provides healing rather than simple escape.<\/p>\n

The reciprocal nature of teaching provides unexpected benefits. Each session becomes a two-way street where wisdom flows in both directions, teaching Kadestam about himself while shaping future champions.<\/p>\n

\u201cI really feel like without martial arts, my story would have been a really dark story. Martial arts saved me. And it continues to save me,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cCoaching was something I feel that was meant to be. In fact, I\u2019ve been coaching guys and teaching and stuff like that for over 10 years, so I\u2019ve always been doing this, and it is like a dream of mine.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Zebaztian Kadestam sees championship potential in young students<\/p>\n

Zebaztian Kadestam\u2019s eyes light up discussing potential he observes in young students at Allstars Training Center<\/a>. Their dedication and intensity remind him why he fell in love with martial arts originally.<\/p>\n

Seven and eight-year-olds display that crazy look in their eyes during training. Their drive and determination sometimes surpass what Kadestam possessed at that age, impressing the former champion beyond expectations.<\/p>\n

Sweden\u2019s MMA landscape continues growing stronger with each passing year. Increased participation and improved infrastructure fuel that community\u2019s expansion throughout the Scandinavian country.<\/p>\n

The competitive flame still burns bright within Kadestam despite his focus slowly shifting toward guiding tomorrow\u2019s stars. He aims to spoil his friend\u2019s retirement fight before moving back down to welterweight to reclaim his championship.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can see [the hunger] in some guys. I\u2019ve been impressed by them. I think it\u2019s kind of cool to see such young kids with so much drive and determination,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a lifelong journey. No stops. Either you walk away or you become a coach, and I don\u2019t think I am ever going to be able to walk away from this sport. I\u2019m far from a perfect coach. I\u2019m not there yet, but I\u2019m gonna be a really good coach one day, for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Teaching shapes warriors differently than competing ever could, and Zebaztian Kadestam discovered his true calling beyond championship glory.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":186821,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[444],"tags":[49,48,641,638,1865,59031,82,91205],"class_list":{"0":"post-186820","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mma","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-fighting","11":"tag-mma","12":"tag-one-championship","13":"tag-one-fight-night-36","14":"tag-sports","15":"tag-zebaztian-kadestam"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/186820","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=186820"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/186820\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/186821"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=186820"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=186820"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=186820"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}