KSW 119 Preview: Kaczmarczyk v Brichta

KSW has its monthly offering this Saturday. Radom will host KSW 119 in its Hala RCS, one of the most raucous atmospheres on the Polish scene. There will be ten bouts under KSW MMA rules, including one for a KSW international championship.

The main event is for the KSW Featherweight Championship with Patryk Kaczmarczyk (13-3) making the first defence of his undisputed title. The 27-year-old was promoted to full status after Salahdine Parnasse left the company. The Radom man won the title against Adam Soldaev by a fifth round rear naked choke, and he had a decision win over Ahmed Vila before that to rack up a two-fight win streak. The “Prince of Radom” will have a loud crowd behind him, and he’s got a solid wrestling base where he has a strong top game and carries a submission threat with arm triangles and rear naked chokes. The Pole’s striking is also now operating at a high level, with a vicious kickboxing style and some lovely knees in his arsenal. His kicking is fantastic. Entertainment is guaranteed. Leo Brichta (14-6) is one of Europe’s most exciting fighters and where he goes, violence goes too. The 28 year-old has eight knockout wins, and he has an extremely aggressive style. This will be his seventh KSW fight and he beat Wellerson Martins in October. The Prague man will walk you down, get in your face and smash you with knees, elbows, kicks and punches with big volume and power. The Czech has experience in pro Muay Thai and he is a risk taker.

Arkadiusz Wrzosek (7-1) is one of the promotion’s biggest stars and draws a hell of a crowd in the form of the Legia Warszawa “Żyleta” fan group. The former Glory kickboxer is pure entertainment from the opening note of his walkout song to the celebration of another knockout win. The Uniq Fight Club man is as high level a kickboxer as you’ll see in MMA, and he’s won six bouts within the distance. The 34-year-old’s hands carry the amount of power that could knock out a bull, and he uses his technique to land flush and down his opponents early on. His only loss was to champion Phil de Fries. This is a man that is appointment viewing. Štefan Vojčák (9-2) is also a former title challenger that came up short to de Fries, and he’s looking to start climbing back up the ladder. The Slovakian can often be seen in a black suit, white shirt and red tie, imitating the character from the Hitman video game series. The 36-year-old won three-in-a-row before the failed shot at the belt, and he likes to work in the striking exchanges. The Bratislava man throws massive punches and he starts quick with wicked power in the first and second rounds, scoring five knockout wins. 

Daniel Rutkowski (18-4) made a triumphant return last April after some time away from the sport, scoring a decision win over Oleksiy Polischuck. The Radom man was a national champion in Greco-Roman wrestling and has since tacked on an extremely exciting kickboxing game. The Pole was a champion in FEN and Babilon, and was a one-time challenger for the KSW belt. The 37-year-old has pro boxing experience and he’s got some pop on his punches, and he’s got a high kick that if it lands, it’s over. Rutek always brings it and his only losses in recent years were to Salahdine Parnasse and Patryk Kaczmarczyk. Daniel Tărchilă (8-3) has been active as a pro for five years despite his young age. The 22-year-old comes from a Thai boxing club and is looking to bounce back from defeat to Adam Soldaev. The Moldovan has been less active of late due to a shoulder injury and he’s chomping at the bit to get back to his regular scraps. Before his loss, he’d won two in-a-row and has built up a very well rounded skillset. Two of his wins have come via knockout and three by submission. He’s aggressive with power in his hands, and he loves a rear naked choke. Back in 2023, he picked up a win in this very building so he’s no stranger to the city.

Andrzej Grzybyk (22-8) is another of KSW’s most exciting fighters and his style will drive the crowd wild. The Rzeszów man is looking to bounce back from defeats to champ Adrian Bartosiński and Muslim Tulshaev, and had built up a four-fight win streak before that. The 35-year-old was a double champion in the FEN federation, and his kickboxing is awe inspiring. The Pole has a wide array of kicks that can upend you at any stage, and his punches sting like a bee. Violence comes naturally to him, and thirteen wins have been due to his striking. He is in the top 5 reasons to hire cutmen. Tymoteusz Łopaczyk (13-4) is another that’s usually in contention for fight of the night awards. The Nemesis Fight Club man trains with the likes of Damian Janikowski, Albert Odzimkowski and Mariusz Ziółkowski in Warsaw. The “Honey Badger” has a lot of confidence in his striking game, and he’s picked up seven knockout victories as a pro. The 30-year-old lost last time out to Madars Fleminas in a split, and had won five on the bounce before that. He likes to download the data and is extremely dangerous with his boxing in the second round, and he likes to utilise elbows and knees in close.

Damian Janikowski (10-9) has faced a murderers row of late, losing to killers such as champions Paweł Pawlak and Piotr Kuberski, and challengers Laïd Zerhouni and Michał Michalski. The Wrocław man is a bronze medalist Olympian from the 2012 London games, with great performances in Greco-Roman wrestling. The 36-year-old has fallen in love with his striking after switching to pro MMA, and he’s not afraid to go in and swing with reckless abandon. The Nemesis Fight Team man has one of the prettiest suplexes in the game, and he can combine that with a vicious brawling style which has earned him five knockouts. Wiktor Zalewski (8-2) got back to winning ways in December after losing his first two pro bouts. The Płock man brings a big crowd with the Bad Company motorcycle club, and he’s a man with great footwork and a mean streak. The 26-year-old has vicious elbows and knees on the inside, and he’s also dangerous on the outside with his kicking, always setting up a head kick. The Pole has one hitter quitter punching power and has seven knockout wins.

Konrad Rusiński (8-3) makes a quick turnaround from his victory against Tagir Machmudov in May, also beating Henry Fadipe in January. The Włodowa man is a well rounded fighter with a record of two knockoffs and four submissions. The 28-year-old has a couple of chokes that he’s had a lot of success with, the guillotine and the rear naked. In striking exchanges, he’s got a heavy punch. Adam Masaev (10-0) is one of the hottest prospects in KSW. The 26-year-old was born in Grozny and has the classic high level Caucus wrestling style. Fighting out of Toulouse in France, he excels in triangle chokes, both the arm and leg varieties. He’d also had wins via the rare buggy and ninja chokes. With eight submission wins, he’s been steamrolling the opposition since debuting in 2019.

Souheil Kaouchen (2-0) looks like a special talent and has an aura and calmness about him far beyond his years. The Frenchman’s pro wins have come under the KSW banner, and in doing so showcasing he can mix it up on the floor and on the feet. Training out of the Atch Academy with Salahdine Parnasse, he has the potential to join his mentor at the very top of the sport. In December, he beat Krzysztof Gaburek with a wonderful striking display where he mixed up his attacks nicely. The 19-year-old looks like a veteran in there, displaying nice footwork, good shot placement and likes to work his levels, legs, body, head. Kacper Wróbel (3-0) is a hot Polish prospect who has struggled to get into the cage due to injuries. The 26-year-old comes in from LFL where he won via arm triangle against Hudson Mello in his last fight. Training out of Warsaw, he comes from a Judo background and has added a nice boxing game on top of it. He’s aggressive early and will try to knock your block off, and on the mat he’s an excellent leg locker.

Michal Martínek (12-7) has had a 50/50 record so far in KSW, usually winning one and losing one, before repeating the pattern. “Blackbeard” trains out of Reinders MMA and he’s known for his striking game. The big Czech is a veteran of the ACA promotion, and this will be his eight promotional bout. The 36-year-old is willing to take chances to land his shots, and he’s won eight by knockout. The former Oktagon champion has notable wins over Matheus Scheffel, Filip Stawowy and Victor Pešta. Marek Samociuk (9-5) returns home to KSW after being loaned out to compete in Rizin’s heavyweight tournament, and he was a defeated finalist, doing the promotion proud in the process. The Pole started out in bare knuckle Vale Tudo, winning Wotore’s first tournament, and he started with a strong wrestling base. The 29-year-old moved to Uniq Fight Club to level up his striking, and he’s had unbelievable success thanks to his coaches and training partners such as Arek Wrzosek and Radek Paczuski. He displays some good fight IQ and he follows instructions well, and he really immobilises opponents with his vicious leg kicks. The Biała Podlaska man is still a baby by heavyweight standards, and the speed of his skill improvements has been phenomenal.

Piotr Kacprzak (13-6) is another hometown fighter who regularly appears on the Hala RCS cards. The Radom man is a high level black belt in Jiu Jitsu, and he’s got a submission for every occasion. The 28-year-old is a former Babilon MMA champion and he’s tacked on a fantastic kickboxing game to his repertoire. Coming in off a win over Wojciech Kaziecko in January at the same venue, you have to watch out for his high head kick and his punch power is enough to finish it. Five wins have come via submission and three by knockout. He faces a promotional debutant by the name of Slimen Hassaini (5-0). The Belgian trains out of Warsaw on the Nemesis Fight Team and he’s been perfect as a pro. The UAE Warriors and Hexagone veteran is a submission expert. The biggest danger is in the leg lock game, where he has a fondness for a heel hook. He’s tough and durable, and has never been knocked out at amateur or pro level. Expect to see his striking level up under the tutelage of Krzysztof Gutowski.

Opening the card will be local Piotr Chudzik (2-0), coming in from Strife and making his promotional debut. The Chimera Combat Academy man has dominated his early pro career using the rear naked choke, tapping out both opponents. We also saw him as an amateur for Babilon MMA, where he showed some striking prowess and enough power to finish a fight through strikes in bigger gloves. Predrag Božović (2-0) is another newcomer and he’s plied his trade for MFC in his homeland, as well as representing them in IMMAF competition where he won a senior European silver medal. The Montenegrin has also done most of his damage in grappling exchanges, with a love of the kimura arm lock and rear naked choke. On the amateur scene, he picked up two knockout wins in the big gloves so will be a threat wherever the fight goes.

KSW 119 is live from Kalisz 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.