Ippon Posted March 5, 2012 Share Posted March 5, 2012 http://img15.imageshack.us/img15/7276/kswtitle.png Introduction Building upon the moderate success that the company has built over the last few years, KSW chairman, Maciej Kawulski has made a shocking announcement regarding the future of the company. The announcement was briefly preceded by the revealing of a freshly appointed CEO in Polish MMA legend Grzegorz Jakubowski. But his appointment was overshadowed by Kawulski’s announcement regarding the KSW roster. A controversial decision, he announced an end to all current contracts of non-European fighters and announced that the focus on the companies’ future will be on purely local fighters from the Eastern European region. When questioned about the ethics of this Kawulski replied, “I believe this a move not only for the future of the company but the future of Mixed Martial Arts in Poland and Europe. Companies such as UFC and Dream dominate this industry and part of their success is making stars of fighters from their respective countries. That is all I have to say on the matter at this time, expect announcements regarding our next show on our website.” Many experts believe his views are narrow minded and bordering on xenophobic, but mostly they believe it could be a damaging move for the company as MMA is a global sport. Whether this will be a disastrous move for KSW remains to be seen. But, if you’re interested in learning more information about KSW, the announcement and their future events, be sure to check out their website http://www.konfrontacja.com. http://img440.imageshack.us/img440/6636/minikswtitle.png First Card Announced The first KSW scheduled under new CEO Grzegorz Jakubowski features two of the companies’ most successful products in Jan Blachowicz and Mamed Khalidov. Blachowicz is the KSW Light-Heavyweight Champion, but will not be defending his title at KSW XVIIII; instead he will be facing a German Muay Thai specialist in Martin ‘King Kong’ Zawada. Zawada had an extended stint in KSW during its early years, his last fight in 2008 was a close fought decision loss to Blachowicz – he’s back in the company and looking to avenge the loss to Blachowicz and continue his current run of form. The Cannibal, Mamed Khalidov has enjoyed a lot of success against the now outlawed non-European fighter, racking up a four fight win streak against the likes of James Irvin and Matt Lindland. However, in order to extend that current streak he will have to face a fellow Polish star in Michal Materla, a submission specialist who is also on a four fight winning streak. Not only will each fighter be competing for their pride and streaks, they will also be fighting for a shot at the KSW Middleweight title. The Middleweight champion Krzysztof Kulak, has recently moved up a weight division in the hope of a title shot against Blachowicz. In order for him gain this title shot he will first need to defeat Polish fighter Antoni Chmielewski, a judo based competitor coming off a victory over James Zikic. The two previously met in 2005 outside of KSW, Chmielewski came out the victor on that occasion, but a lot of time has passed and with a title shot on the line the result is not assured. The main event of the show will be a super fight, a fight for the fans of K1 and Strongman competitions as French Kickboxing legend Jerome Le Banner will be facing ‘The Dominator’ Mariusz Pudzianowski. A fight that will be more of a spectacle than a technical fight, but it’ll be sure to captivate the imagination of the fans who want to see the talented striking ability of Le Banner and the brute strength of Pudzianowski. And with talk of a KSW Heavyweight title being introduced within the year; both men will want to make an impression with this fight. Another couple of Heavyweights that will be looking to make an impression are Polish fighter, Marcin Rozalski and in form Spanish Brazilian Jiu Jitsu competitor, Rogent Lloret. Both men will face off at KSW XVIIII with that incoming Heavyweight title in mind. Lloret made an impressive debut in KSW by defeating fellow divisional competitor Karol Bedorf, and he’ll be looking to follow up that success by knocking off another talented Polish fighter. Rozalski is coming off of a defeat to Valentijn Overeem, but has been given the opportunity to avenge that loss against another top competitor. And kicking off the show will be a fight between experienced Slovenian fighter; Bojan Kosednar and a younger fighter from the Netherlands by the name of Danny van Bergen, who despite his age has competed in as many fights as his older opponent. Kosednar has been given a second chance with KSW after losing his debut at KSWX against fellow Lightweight Maciej Gorski. Whereas, the Dutch prospect Van Bergen is returning to KSW after competing in the Lightweight tournament at KSW XIIII, where he was knocked out by the current KSW Lightweight champion Niko Puhakka. With a victory over Kosednar, a long awaited re-match with the champion could be on the table. KSW XVIIII Super Fight http://img545.imageshack.us/img545/4494/pudzianowski.png vs. http://img692.imageshack.us/img692/8654/lebanner.png Non-Title Light-Heavyweight Bout http://img408.imageshack.us/img408/6531/blachowicz.png vs. http://img818.imageshack.us/img818/7609/zawada.png Middleweight Contender Bout http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/8583/khalidov.png vs. http://img526.imageshack.us/img526/6173/materla.png Light-Heavyweight Contender Bout http://img252.imageshack.us/img252/7084/kulak.png vs. http://img407.imageshack.us/img407/9374/chmielewski.png Heavyweight Bout http://img268.imageshack.us/img268/8408/rozalski.png vs. http://img94.imageshack.us/img94/6034/lloret.png Lightweight Bout http://img35.imageshack.us/img35/866/kosednar.png vs. http://img259.imageshack.us/img259/7913/vanbergen.png *Credit for the graphics go to a user on another forum called Jackioo, the template is for public use.* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ippon Posted March 12, 2012 Author Share Posted March 12, 2012 KSW XVIIII Results Torwar Hall, Warsaw, Poland - 24.03.2012. Lightweight Fight Bojan ‘Zelva’ Kosednar (8-6) vs. Danny van Bergen (10-10-4) 1st Round: The round starts with some back and forth striking before Kosednar catches a Van Bergen and trips him. Van Bergen attempted to scramble several times, but each one resulted in Kosednar gaining further ground position. Kosednar controls the first round after Van Bergen’s mistake. 2nd Round: And almost a carbon copy of a start in this round, Kosednar catching the leg and tripping Van Bergen. This time though the fight gets stood back up after Kosednar just holds on whilst in the dominant position. Kosednar attempts to score another takedown towards the end of the round but Van Bergen easily avoids it. 3rd Round: And Van Bergen once again gets tripped after a telegraphed kick, and once again Kosednar offers no offence on the ground and simply looks to advance his position. This time a scramble from Van Bergen results in a tired Kosednar on his back and pulling guard, Van Bergen needs to get a finish here. But Van Bergen last the fight return to its feet and not much else happens. Result: Bojan Kosednar via Unanimous Decision – Average. Heavyweight Fight Marcin ‘Rozal’ Rozalski (2-1) vs. Rogent Lloret (11-3-2) 1st Round: Much like the first fight, Lloret is able to catch a kick of his opponent and take him down, let’s hope the Spaniard is more proficient on the ground. And he is, throwing strikes to distract his opponent whilst he slowly advances to full mount. Once in mount he secures an arm, flips to his side and puts the pressure on, forcing Rozalski to tap. Result: Rogent Lloret via 1st Round Submission (Arm Bar) – Good. Light-Heavyweight Contender Fight Krzysztof ‘Model’ Kulak (24-12-2) vs. Antoni ‘Antonio’ Chmielewski (22-8) 1st Round: Chmielewski looked to get straight into a grappling match with Kulak, and initially succeeded, pinning Kulak up against the ropes in a body lock. Both fighters attempt to take the fight to the mat from this position, but both guys will block their opposite’s attempts. Chmielewski steps away from the ropes and both fighters trade blows to see out the round, though no fighter damaged the other. 2nd Round: Chmielewski looks to once again get the fight into a grappling contest as Kulak is evading most of his strikes; an attempt at slamming Kulak to the mat is blocked. And to Antoni’s dismay, it is Kulak who secures a takedown, throwing a few punches to set up the double leg takedown and he achieved it. Once on the ground Kulak shows his skill and easily transitions to mount, but Chmielewski is no slouch either, bucking out of Kulaks attempt at an arm bar, landing several punches and reversing into side mount, but he’s unable to do anything with the position. 3rd Round: Kulak attempts to emulate his second round success, throwing the jab and getting the takedown, but this time his opponent avoids it. Though he avoided the takedown Chmielewski is showing fatigue and Kulak is controls the remainder of the fight with his jab. Result: Krzysztof Kulak via Unanimous Decision – Poor. Middleweight Contender Fight Mamed Khalidov (24-4-2) vs. Michal ‘Cipao’ Materla (16-3) 1st Round: Khalidov starts off the fight landing a few kicks, one kick in particular was a powerful push kick that caught Materla off guard and dropped him. Seizing the opportunity Khalidov went for a loose arm of Materla’s, but his Jiu Jitsu is good and he not only escapes the attempt but gets to his feet. Probably should’ve pulled guard. Not that it matters as Khalidov immediately shoots in and gets the takedown gaining half guard. Materla attempts a couple of sweeps and a submission from his back but Khalidov comfortably blocks them whilst being unable to advance his own position. The round ends with the fight being stood up and Khalidov securing another takedown just as the round ended. 2nd Round: This round was all striking Khalidov showing his hand speed and landing a couple of combinations and Materla showing his ability to circle his opponent. Not much happened in the five minutes. 3rd Round: Materla must know he needs a finish as he shoots in almost immediately, and although he secured the takedown, the elusive Khalidov is quick to his feet. The fight then becomes a clinch fight, with Materla initiating the grappling, but ending up being controlled against the ropes by Khalidov. Materla though shows his ability, reversing into control and then securing a trip takedown and into Khalidov’s guard. His opponent is too strong on the ground though and that is where Materla remains for the rest of the round. Result: Mamed Khalidov via Unanimous Decision – Poor. Non-Title Light-Heavyweight Fight Jan Blachowicz (15-3) vs. Martin ‘King Kong’ Zawada (24-10-1) 1st Round: Some back and forth striking is followed up with Blachowicz securing a takedown, Zawada attempted to block the effort but Jan was too strong. Blachowicz reverses his energy, slowly getting to half guard at which point he postures and starts unloading on Zawada, who after eating a few of the champions punches is no longer defending himself and the referee jumps in to save him. Result: Jan Blachowicz via 1st Round TKO (Punches) – Average. Super Fight Mariusz ‘Dominator’ Pudzianowski (3-2-1) vs. Jerome ‘Geronimo’ Le Banner (3-2) 1st Round: Explosive start to the fight, Le Banner countering a weak jab with a barrage of hard right hands that drop the former Strongman competitor. Le Banner smells blood and drops to his knees beside Pudzianowski, dropping hammer blows to his rocked opponent, but the big man somehow pulls Le Banner into half guard and the punches relent. Le Banner doesn’t want to be in a grappling fight, and almost showed why, Pudzianowski locking in a Kimura that the Frenchman narrowly escapes. The Pole than uses a guillotine attempt to sweep his kick boxer of a foe, and from that point it gets worse for Le Banner, who gave up his back in an attempt to block Pudzianowski mounting him, but the Pole was just as dangerous with back control and he landed several punches before the referee jumped in and saved Le Banner. Result: Mariusz Pudzianowski via 1st Round TKO (Punches) – Great. Thoughts Great comeback in the main event, both men showed their strengths, but as is the case usually in MMA, the grappler prevailed over the striker. Our two champions competing both kept their name intact with victories, though Kulak had the tougher fight and managed to pull out a 29-28 Judges decision. Kulak will have to drop to Middleweight before he gets his shot at Blachowicz and the Light-Heavyweight Title, as he has a title of his own to defend. And with a Heavyweight title incoming, Lloret threw his name in the hat alongside Pudzianowski with a dominant win of his own. Chmielewski and Materla both put in decent performances despite losing, expect to see more of them in the future, especially Materla, I predict he’ll rebound and find himself in the title picture before too long. Critical Rating: Decent Commercial Rating: Great FOTN - Mariusz Pudzianowski vs. Jerome Le Banner. KOTN - Mariusz Pudzianowski. SOTN - Rogent Lloret. 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damientheomen3 Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 Polska sila. I JUST REALIZED PUDZIAN IS IN THIS HELL YEAH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WeeMan Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 Nie wiedziałem, że jest więcej Polaków na forum Good to know there are more Polish people on this forum You have a reader in me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ippon Posted March 13, 2012 Author Share Posted March 13, 2012 http://img440.imageshack.us/img440/6636/minikswtitle.png Post-Show Announcement's Krzysztof Kulak was one of the big winners at KSW XVIIII, and it has been confirmed that he will get a title shot at Light Heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz, who also picked up a win at the event. But first he will have to return to his natural middleweight division and defend his title against Mamed Khalidov, who earned the shot after a great run of form and picking up a victory against a tough opponent. Rogent Lloret and Mariusz Pudzianowski were both big winners in the Heavyweight division, and they will be two names that will be thrown into the mix when it comes time to crown a Heavyweight champion. Although it has yet to be announced how the title contenders will be decided. Coming off of his victory, Slovenian Bojan Kosednar has been a offered a new short term contract. And lastly, in the post-fight press conference, newly appointed CEO Grzegorz Jakubowski announced that the next show will see a few new faces in KSW, a contrast in comparison to tonight’s event with several of the KSW fan favourites. KSW XX Announced At the KSW XVIIII post-fight press conference, CEO Grzegorz Jakubowski announced that there would be a few new faces involved in the next KSW events and the main event consists of two fighters that will be making their debut in KSW. Tomasz Drwal has returned to his homeland after being released by UFC and enjoying a successful 2011 outside of the company, he’ll be looking to resurrect his career with a strong showing. His opponent, Romanian, Valentino Petrescu is another fighter looking to get 2012 off to a strong start, but he doesn’t have an easy challenge in the UFC veteran. Petrescu is a tough fighter with an impressive record; his fighting career has mostly been based within in the UK where he has enjoyed success. Both men will be looking for the all important, but no one more so than the veteran Drwal, who will be fighting in front of his hometown fans of Krakow. And two other fighters that will be looking for that success in front of their home country fans will be Marcin Najman and Popek Rak. Both men are mostly known in Poland for their exploits outside of MMA. Marcin Najman a former Professional boxer, now Polish celebrity after taking part in reality series, Big Brother, has not made a strong start to his MMA career, dropping losses to Pudzianowski and fellow former Boxer, Przemyslaw Saleta. He’ll be looking to get his first win, but he faces a really tough fight against Polish rapper-come-MMA fighter, Popek Rak. Rak has had a successful career as a rapper in Eastern Europe, and a relatively successful start to his MMA career, all three of his fights taking place in the UK, he won his first two fights but after dropping his last fight to Dutchman Sander Duyvis he’s returning to Poland. Another fighter looking to return to winning ways is Spaniard Daniel Tabera, and being one of the most successful MMA fighters to come out of Spain there is a lot on the line for him. Returning to KSW after competing in the 2010 Light-Heavyweight tournament where he got to the final but was defeated by divisional champion Jan Blachowicz, he’ll be hoping for a win and a possible re-match with Blachowicz. Tabera is coming off just over a year without having a fight and looking to take advantage of that lay off is Polish fighter, Lukasz Jurkowski. Jurkowski is a veteran of KSW, having had mixed success with the company he will be looking to rise above that gate keeper position he has seemingly gained over the last few years. Maciej Jewtuszko is another fighter looking to break into the upper echelons of his division, and after his knock out of Dean Amasinger at KSW XVIII he could well be on his way to a possible a title shot against Finnish champion Niko Puhakka. But to continue that path to a title shot he will have to first defeat Lithuanian fighter Edvardas Norkeliunas, but Jewtuszko will not be the fighter approaching this one under pressure as these two have met before a couple of years ago and it was the Pole who came out on top on that occasion. Norkeliunas is young though and he will be looking to avenge that loss and turn around his current form to set up a charge at the title himself. The two fights rounding off the card will involve four Polish fighters all looking to make an impression on the new CEO. Unbeaten prospect Lukasz Sajewski will be making his debut in the company against Maciej Gorski who has to go down as a favourite, fresh off a loss to Lightweight champion Puhakka, Gorski is a lot of experience fighting within KSW. And kicking off the event will be two Brazilian Jiu Jitsu practitioners that have been enjoying winning streaks, though Karol Bedorf’s run was ended by Lloret he got back to winning ways against David Oliva at KSW XVIII. Przemyslaw Biskup though has a four fight win streak coming into this fight, he hasn’t fought in KSW since making his MMA debut in 2005, but he’ll be looking to make a successful return to the company that birthed him. Both men will be looking get a win that could see them involved in the title picture. KSW XX Middleweight Bout http://img252.imageshack.us/img252/8369/drwal.png vs. http://img20.imageshack.us/img20/1716/petrescu.png Heavyweight Bout http://img571.imageshack.us/img571/483/najman.png vs. http://img842.imageshack.us/img842/197/rak.png Light-Heavyweight Bout http://img441.imageshack.us/img441/8055/tabera.png vs. http://img838.imageshack.us/img838/5632/jurkowski.png Lightweight Bout http://img33.imageshack.us/img33/7546/jewtuszko.png vs. http://img600.imageshack.us/img600/6990/norkeliunas.png Lightweight Bout http://img40.imageshack.us/img40/1247/sajewski.png vs. http://img859.imageshack.us/img859/6890/gorski.png Heavyweight Bout http://img853.imageshack.us/img853/2115/bedorf.png vs. http://img593.imageshack.us/img593/3196/biskup.png New Krakow Arena, Krakow, Poland – 21.04.2012. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ippon Posted March 17, 2012 Author Share Posted March 17, 2012 KSW XX Results New Krakow Arena, Krakow, Poland – 21.04.2012. Heavyweight Bout Karol Bedorf (7-2) vs. Przemyslaw Biskup (7-1) Round 1: Biskup starts the fight with some effective counter striking, rocking Bedorf within seconds of the fight starting. And it only takes a couple of minutes before Biskup’s superior striking sees him drop Bedorf with a series of right hands. Biskup’s attempts at finishing the fight where defended well, and he resorted to entering the guard of Bedorf. The round ends with Biskup in control. Round 2: Just over a minute into this round Biskup catches a lose kick from Bedorf and drops him with an overhand right, Bedorf recovers well though and Biskup lets the fight return to its feet. The rest of the round sees both fighters exchange strikes without damaging their opposition. Round 3: This time Biskup looks to enforce his grappling in the fight, pushing Bedorf up against the ropes with a clinch. And he remains in control with Bedorf helplessly pinned against the ropes, he did attempt to escape with a takedown attempt but it was easily blocked. Bedorf turns the tables towards the end of the fight, getting his own minute or so in control, but he failed in another attempt to take it to the mat and the fight was over. Result: Przemyslaw Biskup via Unanimous Decision – Poor. Lightweight Bout Lukasz Sajewski (8-0) vs. Maciej Gorski (10-6) Round 1: Sajewski came into this round with one goal in mind, taking Gorski down, and although Gorski did well to avoid his first attempt the tenacity of Sajewski saw him gain a takedown just over a minute into the fight. Sajewski shows off his superior grappling, first gaining side mount and then locking Gorski in a arm triangle choke, a hold Gorski narrowly escaped. The escape from the submission had both fighters scramble for position and end up back on their feet. But Sajewski is straight in the again with the takedown, this time though Gorski manages to get back to his feet. Another takedown right on the bell closes out a dominant round for the prospect. Round 2: I think you can guess what happened at the start of this round, though Sajewski did eat a couple of punches in return. Whilst on the ground Sajewski was content controlling his opponent and the referee, unimpressed, returned the action to its feet where Sajewski was unable to get Gorski back to the mat. Round 3: Gorski comes out firing in this round knowing he needs a finish and he almost gets it, he counters a left jab with a barrage of punches that rock Sajewski. Gorski hurts Sajewski with his counter punching a couple more times in the fight before he eventually knocks down his opponent with several hard right hooks. Unfortunately for Gorski, Sajewski was only briefly dazed and he prevented Gorski getting the TKO. Result: Lukasz Sajewski via Unanimous Decision – Decent. Lightweight Bout Maciej Jewtuszko (9-2) vs. Edvardas Norkeliunas (13-8-2) Round 1: Not much action in this first round, Jewtuszko controlled the round with his grappling but he was unable to takedown his Lithuanian opponent and mostly controlled him up against the ropes. Round 2: The first half of this round goes a lot like the second, but on the two minute mark Jewtuszko secures the first takedown of the fight, Norkeliunas pulling guard. The Pole came close with a submission attempt, but Norkeliunas not only escaped it he swept his opponent, but decided he would rather end the round with a striking battle and backed away from the grounded Jewtuszko. Round 3: Some tired striking exchanges made for an uninteresting start to the round, but Jewtuszko scored a takedown in attempt to gain some control in the round, but it results in both men scrambling and getting back to their feet. The fight ends with Norkeliunas blocking another takedown attempt, he’s done a good of avoiding his opponents grappling, but offered little of his own offense. Result: Maciej Jewtuszko via Unanimous Decision – Average. Light-Heavyweight Bout Daniel Tabera (16-5-3) vs. Lukasz Jurkowski (15-10) Round 1: An interesting first round, the movement of Jurkowski keeping saw him avoid the grappling of Tabera and land a kick here or there. But the Spaniard eventually caught Jurkowski and took him down seconds before the bell struck, Tabera looks like he’ll be throwing bombs if he gets it to the mat again. Round 2: Jurkowski’s efforts to avoid Tabera’s grappling looks to be taking affect on his fitness as he raggedly completes the same strategy as the first round. But once again his opponent would impose his will and Tabera controlled Jurkowski against the ropes towards the end of the round. Round 3: The third so Jurkowski manage to avoid all attempts at grappling and get some offense in here and there, but even with a stand up fight Tabera was slightly getting the better of him. Overall, a comprehensive victory if not exciting. Result: Daniel Tabera via Unanimous Decision – Very Poor. Heavyweight Bout *Najman announced his retirement a couple of weeks prior to the fight, experienced K1 veteran Konstantin Gluhov has taken the fight on short notice. The Latvian will be making his return to KSW after losing a bout to David Oliva at KSW XIII.* Konstantin Gluhov (20-9) vs. Popek Rak (2-1) Round 1: As would be predicted from Rak and his last minute opponent, this started out as a striking bout, but neither fighter was getting the better of the other and it ended in somewhat of a stalemate, Rak maybe landing the more telling shots. Round 2: Another round of kick boxing, Gluhov is starting to land more shots but it is Rak who gets the big strike in, rocking Gluhov with a counter hook that landed flush. Unfortunately for us fight fans the bell rang seconds later. Round 3: Another decent round of striking, Gluhov looks to be the more technical striker out of the two and is landing a more varied array of strikes. But Rak is landing the more powerful shots - A tough decision to call. Result: Popek Rak via Unanimous Decision – Average. Middleweight Bout Tomasz Drwal (19-4-1) vs. Valentino Petrescu (12-2) Round 1: Drwal starts this fight on fire, landing a nice roundhouse kick and a couple more strikes before shooting and getting the takedown. He quickly mounts Petrescu and begins raining bombs down on his opponent, with the Romanian taking clean shot after clean shot the referee jumps in and Drwal makes a fantastic impression in front of his home town fans. Result: Tomasz Drwal via 1st Round TKO (Punches) – Great. Thoughts Not the best show, I don’t think the retirement before the event overly effected the result, but I think Rak would’ve knocked him out and at least given the fans a little more excitement. Drwal of course was the star of the show, taking out a highly thought of European fighter in rapid time, he looks like he’ll be forcing his way into the middleweight title picture in no time. Rak was impressive against the K1 veteran, his striking is good but he also has decent wrestling, something he didn’t showcase, looks to be a good prospect at heavyweight. Daniel Tabera held the flag for the non-Polish fighters in KSW, a solid victory for him and it could see him get a step up in opposition. Biskup, Sajewski and Jewtuszko all looked dominant in their victories and will of course be featuring in future events. Gorski was the only fighter to really impress in his loss, but only because he almost made a great comeback in the final round. I doubt we will prosper much with events such as this. Critical Rating: Average Commercial Rating: Average FOTN – Tomasz Drwal vs. Valentino Petrescu KOTN – Tomasz Drwal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tag01 Posted March 25, 2012 Share Posted March 25, 2012 I'm digging it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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