JUMPING KNEE!!!!
🇵🇱 @bartos_mma
👑 XTB
#KSW89 pic.twitter.com/VmFqkC6DWy— KSW (@KSW_MMA)
December 16, 2023
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History was attempted but not made Saturday night as
Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki welterweight champion Adrian
Bartosinski foiled double champ Salahdine
Parnasse’s quest for a third title in a major mixed martial
arts organization. After five gritty rounds, Bartosinski (14-0)
successfully retained his belt after bullying his way to a
unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 48-47) in the
KSW 89 main event at PreZero Arena in Gliwice, Poland.
Parnasse (18-2) tried to do something that no fighter has ever done
and quickly found out how difficult it would be. Bartosinski used
his superior size to bully and push Parnasse’s back toward the
fence and keep him at bay. The fight was mostly spent in the clinch
where Bartosinski was able to ragdoll and stifle Parnasse’s
offense.
When the two fighters were disengaged, the bout evened out as
Parnasse’s speed became apparent, but Bartosinski’s elevated power
from being a true welterweight caused the double champion to be
cautious. Bartosinski put Parnasse on full alert with a flush right
knee that dropped him in the second round. Parnasse wouldn’t see
serious danger for the rest of the fight, but he wouldn’t take
chances either. It was clear that he was the smaller man in the
clinch, yet he seemed content with locking up with Bartosinski for
long periods.
KSW middleweight champion Pawel
Pawlak defended his belt in style against former champion
Michal
Materla in the co-main event. Pawlak and Materia chose to stay
on their feet and trade for most of the 25-minute affair, but that
didn’t play out well for the former champ.
Pawlak notched his first successful title defense by boxing circles
around the 39-year-old Materla en route to a unanimous decision
(49-46, 50-45, 50-45). Pawlak popped Materla with jabs and
straights for most of the fight but couldn’t hurt the former
middleweight kingpin. Materla’s willingness to come forward and
press the action led to some entertaining exchanges, but Pawlak’s
movement was too much to contain. Materla looked a step behind
Pawlak (23-4-1), as does most of the KSW Middleweight division.
With a 5-0 record in the promotion, the former
Ultimate Fighting Championship fighter has made a home in
Poland’s premier organization and could look to rule for a long
time.
Damian
Janikowski utilized his Olympic-caliber wrestling to upset
former middleweight title contender Tomasz
Romanowski en route to a slim unanimous decision win (29-28,
29-28, 29-28). Romanowski had Janikowski on skates in the first
round, but Janikowski recovered and did what he does best.
Romanowski couldn’t stop Janikowski on the ground and was stifled
and frustrated while being pummeled. Romanowkski hoped to fight his
way into another title shot, but the upset win may have set the
stage for Janikowski’s run toward the title.
Raul
Tutarauli ruined the much-anticipated KSW debut of Polish star
Marcin
Held with a left hand that had Held helpless late in the second
round. Held (28-10) looked to end the fight early with a heel hook
and nearly sunk it again off his back in Round 2. Unfortunately for
Held, he held onto Tutarauli’s leg too long, leaving his chin
susceptible to a haymaker. Tatarauli seized his opportunity to pick
up his second straight win with an overhand left that bounced
Held’s head off the canvas at the 3:49 mark.
Andrzej
Grzebyk (21-6) spoiled Madars
Bertholds-Fleminas‘ KSW debut by unanimous decision in
welterweight action. Berthold-Fleminas and Grzebyk have 18
knockouts between them, but the latter was focused on the game
plan. As the KSW debutant looked for one shot to turn the tide,
Grzebyk cruised to his third straight win by striking in flurries
and neutralizing his man on the ground.
Heavyweights Szymon
Bajor and Viktor
Pesta slugged it out for three straight rounds in a
back-and-forth war that ended with Bajor’s hands raised in victory.
Bajor clipped Pesta with overhand rights all afternoon and nearly
ended the fight with a rear-naked choke. Pesta, however, showed why
he’s considered one of KSW’s most dangerous heavyweights by landing
his share of bone-rattling shots. The judges were unable to agree
in total but the majority sided with Bajor’s work over the
action-packed 15 minutes (29-28, 28-29, 29-28).
Twenty-seven-year-old featherweight Ahmed Vila
picked up the biggest win of his career despite the fact that he
felt like he didn’t deserve it. Lukasz
Charzewski (12-2) seemed to get the better of the exchanges and
could’ve easily been awarded the win or at least a split decision,
but it was Vila who took the unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27,
29-28). Vila admitted post-fight that he thought Charzewski was the
better man and would happily welcome a rematch.
Wilson
Varela’s walk to the cage was longer than his entire fight
Saturday. Just 17 seconds after the bell commenced Varela’s
lightweight showdown with former title contender Sebastian
Rajewski, Valera (11-5) closed the show with a debilitating
front snap kick straight to the solar plexus.
Few fighters have had a more successful year than Valrela. After
closing out 2022 with three losses in a row, “The Prototype”
channeled his 180-degree turnaround into a five-fight win streak
that has him surging up the KSW lightweight rankings.
Emilia
Czerwinska (3-1) bounced back from her first professional
defeat with a comeback win over flyweight foe Natalia
Baczynska-Krawiec. Czerwinska started the fight on her back
foot and was beaten to the punch often as she tried to find her
range. As the fight continued, Czerwinska’s jab found success as
she landed tight knees on the inside. Tied heading into the final
round, Czerwinska edged out the bout with a whizzer in the final 30
seconds (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).
Michal
Domin improved to 6-3 with a unanimous decision win over
featherweight Wojciech
Kazieczko (30-27, 30-27, 30-27). Domin secured his second
straight win by pressuring Kazieczko toward the fence at the start
of each round and easily securing takedowns off double-legged
shots.
Despite Domin’s dominance on the ground, the Pole was nearly
finished by a surprise buggy choke in the first round. Kazieczko
reverted back to the technique each time he was taken to his back,
but the move became less effective with each attempt. By the end of
the fight, Domin was in full control as Kazieczko’s face was
bloodied from consistent ground-and-pound.