KSW 109 Preview: Kuberski v Paczuski

We get our monthly dose of KSW action this Saturday. KSW 109 goes down in the ATM Studio on the right bank of Warsaw’s Wisła river. Eight bouts will be contested under KSW MMA rules on the night , including one for an interim international title.

The main event features a defence of Piotr Kuberski’s (16-1) interim KSW Middleweight Championship. The 36-year-old earned that crown by brutalising Tommy Romanowksi back in March. The 36-year-old is a perfect 4-0 in the promotion, beating the likes of Michał Materla, Damian Janikowski and Bartosz Leśko along the way. The Former FEN champion is a massively hard hitting striker, scoring fourteen knockout wins and he’s won his last 13 in-a-row. This Ankos MMA man ends fights violently. Radosław Paczuszki (8-2) trains out of Uniq Fight Club in Warsaw with the likes of Arek Wrzosek and Marek Samociuk, and he won a kickboxing bout in this venue last May. The Pole won a FEN title in that discipline, and he’s known for taking chances to land his massive strikes. He doesn’t play for the decision, he’s coming for your head. Beware of his leg kicks.

Michał Michalski (12-5) is one of the most exciting fighters in Poland. The 36-year-old trains out of Ankos MMA in Pozńan, and his only loss in the last seven was to champion Adrian Bartośiński. “Cukier”, which means sugar in Polish, has won his last three and likes to torture opponents with his fists and elbows. Seven wins have come via knockout and damage is the name of his game. Andi Vrtačić (7-2) is as tough as they come and has the ability to overcome massive adversity to get the win. The 30-year-old has three nice wins over Kamil Oniszczuk, Cezary Kęsik and Piotr Strus, and balances his time between KSW and FNC in his native Croatia. He’s got some heavy hitting kickboxing in his locker, and you’ll almost have to kill him to keep him down.

Ewelina Woźniak (9-3) is a colorful character out of Ankos MMA in Pozńan. The Pole was successful in her last outing in March, beating Sofiia Bagishvilli by rear naked choke. The 32-year-old has a lovely submission game and has a great triangle choke to go with the RNC. The Mad Queen is also entertaining in the feet. Monika Kučinič (6-2) returns to KSW and her last two victories were against the aforementioned Sofiia Bagishvilli. The Slovenian is a mean striker with troublesome power. She’s also got serviceable submissions.

Oskar Szczepaniak (7-2) looks like the love child of Guile from Street Fighter and Ivan Drago. The Berserker from Szczecin is looking to bounce back from defeat last March, having won his five bouts before that. The marketable welterweight is a nice kickboxer that has bags of power and moves very well around the cage. Daniel Skibiński (22-10) is a gnarly, hard nosed veteran of the scene. The 34-year-old has a very solid wrestling base that he uses to accentuate his striking. The Czerwony Smok man runs at a high pace, throwing with volume which sometimes runs down the gas tank towards the third round. He’s a scrapper with eight knockout wins on his record.

Bartosz Szewczyk (8-4-1) is a Contender Series veteran and was unsuccessful in his KSW debut, losing to Damian Piwowarczyk. The 27-year-old is a former FEN champion, and has a beautiful kickboxing game where he loves to dig into the body and then follow up top to the head when a devastating punch. Dawid Kasperski (2-0) is young in his MMA career but has bags of kickboxing expertise. The Wrocław man has beaten heavy hitters thus far in his promotional stint, and he uses his technique and footwork to outpoint his opponents in stand-up exchanges. His wrestling has surprised people so far.

Eduard Kexel (10-2) is an IMMAF veteran, representing his country at the highest amateur level. The German is a well rounded fighter with pop on his punches and some nice chokes in his arsenal. He has the ability to cause real damage in striking range. Josef Štummer (5-2) won via knockout in his last outing in February. “Air” earned his nickname due to his wrestling game, sometimes unleashing an amazing suplex. The Czech is a good submission player and you need to watch out for his scarf hold and triangle chokes.

Borys Dzikowski (4-2) is another colorful character and he was in one of the fights of the year last time out. The Wroclaw man isn’t afraid to brawl on the feet, throwing with bad intentions. There’s no quit in the 27-year-old, and he’s as tough as the day is long. He’s got a decent wrestling game to fall back on. Alain Van De Merckt (8-1) is looking to bounce back from his first defeat and eager to prove he’s still ready for the top table of European MMA. The former LFL champion is talented wherever the fight goes. The 32-year-old has a great arm triangle and rear naked choke in the submission game, complementing his heavy hitting kickboxing game. All wins have been within the distance.

Michał Gniady (3-1) lost his last KSW fight to Oskar Szczepaniak in March, however got back in the win column in May with a decision win outside of the promotion. The 26-year-old is a well rounded striker, mixing up the punches on the feet and through ground and pound. The Pole has an effective guillotine to dissuade takedown attempts. Victor Červisnký (4-2) is an RFA champion in his homeland. The Czech is looking for his first KSW win, and has fought in pro Muay Thai in the past. He has a nice rear naked choke and guillotine to go along with his dangerous kickboxing.

KSW 109 is live from Warsaw at 18:00 Dublin time this Saturday night and the PPV can be purchased at KSWTV.com. If you’re looking for a taste of what’s to come, the first two fights will air for free on Youtube, as well as the infamous KSW opening ceremony.