KSW 117 Preview: Pawlak v Khalidov, de Fries Defends

The monthly KSW show comes to us live on Saturday night. KSW 117 takes place in the COS Torwar in Warsaw. Nine fights are on deck including two for international KSW titles.

Paweł Pawlak (25-4-1) is a former UFC veteran and was a title holder in Babilon MMA prior. The Octopus Łódź man is the KSW Middleweight champion with three defences to his name already, and has won all seven of his promotional bouts to date. The 37-year-old’s Plan A is his striking game, a realm he usually dominates from the first minutes until even the twenty fifth minute. The Pole doesn’t wilt, he’s always in your face getting his offence off. His backup plan like many from Octopus is his grappling game, showing a nice kneebar win last December against Laïd Zerhouni. Eleven of his wins were via knockout and he’ll be looking to avenge his teammate and dominant KSW Welterweight champion Adrian Bartosiński in this one. Mamed Khalidov (38-8-2) is a man who needs no introduction and is a legend of European MMA. Born in Grozny in Chechnya, the “Cannibal” emigrated to Poland in search of a better life, even using the Polish spelling of his surname “Chalidow” of late, and he has certainly turned himself into a star. The 45-year-old began his martial arts journey with Taekwondo, and became one of the most well rounded fighters on the continent. In November 2024, he turned back the years, upsetting Pawlak’s teammate Bartosiński via second round armbar, improving his current win streak to three-a-row. The Olsztyn man has many highlights, he is a three-time KSW champion and is a future hall of famer. Sixteen wins have come via knockout and another eighteen victories by submission, a finishing machine.

Phil de Fries (28-6) is one of the most dominant champions in promotional history, defending his KSW Heavyweight Championship for the fourteenth time on Saturday, a belt he’s held since April 2018. The Sunderland man is a former UFC and Bellator fighter and is a training partner of UFC Heavyweight Champion Tom Aspinall and UFC heavyweight Mick Parkin. The 39-year-old has won his last sixteen MMA bouts and at times makes it look very easy doing it. The Englishman has an ability to control the ground exchanges, nullifying some of Europe’s top strikers. The Team Fish Tank man has fifteen submissions and eight knockout wins, predominantly using wrestling to spell the beginning of the end. Marcin Wójcik (22-10) has some great wins in recent years against former UFC fighter Augusto Sakai and former KSW champion Ibragim Chuzhigaev, as well as beating top contender Damian Piwowarczyk. “The Giant” moved up to heavyweight in his last bout, a decision win. The Pole is a Cage Warriors and PFL veteran, and was also a champion in FEN. The 36-year-old is heavy hitting in the striking realm, putting together eleven knockouts. The Ankos MMA man also tirelessly works at his grappling game, securing eight tap out wins with a range of choke techniques.

Daniel Rutkowski (17-4) returns to the KSW cage for the first time since March 2024, a winning outing at KSW 92. The Pole had a tune up contest in the GROMDA bare knuckle boxing promotion in February, dusting off the cobwebs. The Radom man’s absence was due to some legal issues and he’s here to put that all behind him. The 37-year-old is a former featherweight title contender and once held the FEN and Babilon belts at the same time. The Pole was a national champion wrestler early in his career, and he’s built a nice kickboxing game to match it. He has seven knockouts on his record, including a highlight reel head kick win over Filip “Nitro” Pejić, one of the top knockouts of 2021. Oleksiy Polischuck (15-6) was due to compete for the KSW bantamweight title at KSW 107, however weight cutting difficulties cost him and now he’s moved up to featherweight. The Ukrainian is a very impressive wrestler and submission player. The 30-year-old has secured eight submission wins, and he specialises in arm attacks such as the armbar and kimura. In the boxing exchanges, he does have power and scored a notable knockout in this building in January 2024 against Werlleson Martins.

Andi Vrtačić (8-3) has been one of the most exciting fighters to emerge in Europe in recent years. The Croatian has come through adversity and the blood, sweat and tears to earn the nickname the “Highlight Reel”. The FNC veteran scored an amazing head kick win back in January, and his win column is a long list of impressive European level opponents. The 31-year-old has five knockout wins and is well capable of adding more with his powerful kickboxing. Albert Odzimkowski (16-7) is a regular at the Polish language commentary desk and is a fan favourite when he steps into the cage. The Radom man is an all-action fighter who is good at scrambles and hits with lots of power. The 38-year-old has won his last four bouts and he has an absolute gem of a punch that can knock opponents stiff. All but one of his wins were via stoppage, with a fairly even split of the methods.

Marcelo Morelli (7-4) emigrated to Warsaw and trains with the Uniq Fight Club, home of Arek Wrzosek and Radek Paczuski. Born in Mexico and coming in via Venezuela, he comes in off a first round knockout win over the impressive Patryk Surdyn in December. The 28-year-old is a very powerful striker with four knockout wins so far. “El Diablo” is durable on the feet which allows him to take chances on the feet, entertaining all and sundry. Werlleson Martins (19-8) is a former title challenger making his seventh appearance for the promotion. The Brazilian is exciting in various facets of the sport, possessing significant submission chops, getting eight tap outs so far. His favourite technique is the armbar. On the feet, he’s got the power to change things quickly and has won via knockout six times. He isn’t as durable as his opponent, so will need to be careful in those exchanges.

Welisson Paiva (12-4-2) is a talented young man who has won two of his three KSW bouts to date. The Brazilian debuted in the promotion with a big knockout over talented striker Macej Kaziecko, following it up with a decision win over the impressive Dawid Smiełkowski. The 23-year-old is a former Hexagone MMA champion and has secured nine knockout wins already. Hugo Deux (6-1) is another lad that has emigrated to Warsaw, training with the Nemesis team under the tutelage of Robert Jocz and Krzysztof Gutowski. The 30-year-old is tough and rugged, and enjoys getting in your face and making it miserable. The Frenchman has two knockout wins, with the rest of his victories coming via hard working to a decision. The Lyon man isn’t afraid to mix in his wrestling or to stall you on the cage.

Jacek Gać (3-1) is a popular local fighter who will have loud backing in the arena. The Uniq Fight Club man picked up his first KSW win last time in February 2025 via ground and pound, and that’s the type of violence you can expect from him. The Warsaw man is a kickboxer who flies out of the blocks ready to upend opponents, with all his victories coming shortly after the fight started. Luka Vrtačić (debut) comes in from the FNC amateur scene and is the brother of Andi Vrtačić. Like his sibling, the Croatian is an exciting striker and his most notable moment in his career was a fifteen-second knockout victory over Mariusz Ligor. He trains with the Trojan Free Fighters in picturesque Pula where he shares the mat with top fighters such as Ivan Vitasović and Daniel Bažat. He’s got big shoes to fill, and he’s got the power and technique to do it.

Tobiasz Le (6-2) has won three of his four KSW bouts, most recently a decision win against Alfan Rocher-Labes. The Cieszyn man had a long and storied amateur career, competing close to thirty times with the highlight of representing his country at IMMAF level. The 31-year-old is an exciting striker with a lot of power for his weight, winning four bouts via knockout. The Pole is a danger throughout the fight and his power is a threat for the duration. Sebastian Decowski (6-0) won his debut last September with an armlock. The Pole was an accomplished amateur in his own right, competing twenty times with only two defeats. The Rzeszów man is a quick starter, particularly on the feet where he employs a mean, heavy hitting kickboxing game which has seen him pick up four knockouts as a pro. In the submission game, he loves to attack the arm, with an especially wicked armbar. He also loves to hit the armlocks, keylocks and kimura.

Nacim Belhouachi (4-4) returns after a year on the sidelines. The Frenchman is an impressive grappler, using his wrestling to get himself into dominant positions. The Bizot man is great at taking the back and securing the rear naked choke. Three of his four wins were via tapout, with a knockout win from the floor. Jan Mašek (3-2) is a Cage Warriors veteran and is an entertainer. The Czech was a regular in the amateur IMMAF tournaments, displaying a wonderful choke game with a standout guillotine and anaconda. The Přibrsm man is all heart and can clutch victory from the jaws of defeat, and he’s a lion in stand-up exchanges. This man doesn’t turn down a challenge.

KSW 117 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.