KSW 60 Preview

KSW will return to Klub Wytwórnia in the European fight capital of Łódź, Poland this Saturday night. The production crew have been working hard to give these shows a different feel each time, and KSW 60 will be no different.

The KSW Heavyweight championship is on the line in the main event. Sunderland’s Phil de Fries (19-6) defends his title for the fifth time. He will face a familiar foe, Light Heavyweight champion Tomasz Narkun (18-3). The pair fought before in Łódź at KSW 47 in front of a sold out crowd at the Atlas Arena. De Fries dominated that night and was able to nullify Narkun’s strengths and used his size to pitch a shutout. That size difference will still exist in the rematch, so this is all going to come down to how much Narkun has improved in the interim. If there’s clinching, De Fries will likely be able to smother him. Narkun has a lethal submission game and picks his moments on the feet very well. His best chance comes in the open waters and to stay away from the cage. If he’s unable to do that, we could be looking at a repeat of the first fight.

Marian Ziółkowski (22-8-1) defends his KSW Lightweight strap for the first time. The WCA Warsaw man won the vacant belt at KSW 57 against Roman Szymański after former holder Mateusz Gamrot moved to the UFC. He takes on Ankos MMA’s Maciej Kazieczko (7-1), who is currently on a 4 fight win streak. Ziółkowski is very active on the feet and has great cardio. He’s also very tricky on the mat. Even if he’s on his back, he will throw up submissions. Kazieczko has concrete in his hands and has produced many highlight reel KOs under the KSW banner. This matchup is a great showcase of the new school of Polish MMA.

Former professional boxer Izu Ugonoh (1-0) returns for his second MMA contest. His opponent Marek Samociuk (2-1) also has a standup base and was the inaugural winner of Wotore’s bare knuckle MMA tournament. He steps in on a few days notice after a few opponent pull outs. MMA fans may know Ugonoh as the man who mimicked Israel Adesanya for Jan Błachowicz’s fight camp for UFC 259. He boasts a pro boxing record of 18-2, with his defeats coming to elite competition. If this stays standing, Izu should be able to let his boxing and kickboxing talents do the talking. He will be eager to make a statement following an injury stoppage win last time out.

Patryk Kaczmarczyk (6-0) is one to watch. This man has the “It Factor”. He can talk and he can fight. This is one of the most anticipated KSW debuts in history. Kaczmarczyk has a fantastic ground game with a striking game to back it up. He’s not getting any favours early on, he will be welcomed by Michał Sobiech (4-0). The man they call “Dr Beast” is coming in to try and take Kaczmarczyk’s head off. The Polish want their up and coming fighters tested, and this is a great example of that philosophy.

One matchup on the card stands out on the violence meter. Aleksandar “The Joker” Ilić (12-4) brings his flashy kickboxing style to battle against Adrian Dudek (5-1). Both men are expected to go for the knockout in this one. The only decision Dudek has been to is a loss. Ilić hasn’t needed a judge since 2017. This should be fireworks.

Slovakian BJJ wizard Vojto Barborík (12-1) steps into a KSW cage for the first time to take on Krzysztof Klaczek (12-6). Barborík has won his last ten, with half coming via submission. He is a choke specialist and will end it if given half a chance. Klaczek has been out of action since early 2019. He is a well rounded fighter who has competed on big U.K. cards before in Cage Warriors and BAMMA, as well as Oktagon and FEN in Central Europe. This could be a very tricky outing for Klaczek if he’s suffering from any ring rust.

There is an exciting fight in the strawweight division between Aleksandra Rola (3-1) and Karolina Wójcik (7-2). This fight will be both fighters walking each other down and throwing shots. This should be 15 minutes of action that has a lot of needle to it. Both ladies have wanted this fight for a while. Rola’s only defeat came to Wójcik’s teammate Karolina Owczarz.

In a 176lb catchweight contest, Kacper Koziorzębski (7-3) fights Ion Surdu (10-3). Koziorzębski has very slick boxing and loves mixing in high kicks. Ion Surdu is a good kick-boxer in his own right and has the killer instinct to finish it. Surdu hails from Moldova, however he has found a home in Łódź at Shark Top Team.

Jakub Wikłacz (10-3-1) and Patryk Surdyn (5-1) both come into KSW 60 looking for their first promotional win. Wikłacz has a nice submission game with a wide range of chokes in his repertoire. Surdyn is likely to try and keep this standing. He isn’t afraid of a brawl and will stay in the pocket and throw. He holds a victory over Sylwester Miller which shows how good his skills are.

KSW 60 is live only on PPV on Saturday night from 19:00 Irish time. Access can be bought through KSWTV.com or on FITE TV.