Before Saturday’s gala, there were many questions that were difficult to answer. Will Michał Materla finally cope with a really difficult challenge? What is the ground floor of Roberto Soldicia and what is the Croatian really capable of in MMA? What can Tomasz Narkun get out of his career? And where is Karolina Owczarz’s ceiling?
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Narkun: I’m skinny, but if I pin it
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Roberto Soldić, although he is a welterweight champion, decided that he would face Michał Materla, an extremely experienced player (no one has fought again in KSW than him – 25) middle category. – They are in the same weight class, but fought in different ones. Materla wants challenges, and I, as a promoter, are very, very happy. It will be a great war – he said before the gala Maciej Kawulski. The KSW co-owner was right. It was brilliant fight, but only in the performance of Soldić, who sent Materla to the boards several times. At the end of the first round, the judge stopped the duel, because the Pole was already staggering on his feet. Soldić won the sixth fight in KSW, and the fifth by knockout.
“Roberto Soldić is one of the scariest fighters in the world! What a performance!” – you can read on the official KSW account on Twitter.
What’s next for Soldicia? Probably a match against Mamed Khalidov, the middleweight champion. There is nothing to wait for, because the 25-year-old Croat is ready for the biggest clashes in KSW. Today he has become a rightful star of the Polish federation.
For Materly, it was another painful failure in her career. The former middleweight champion, let’s be honest, is not among the European leaders. “Cipao” lost his four most important fights. And he lost them with a trick. He lost his first major battle in 2015 when Mamed Khalidov knocked him out with his flying knee in just 31 seconds. Thus, the Pole lost his belt. Materla was given a chance to get him back, but lost to Scott Askham twice. In 2018, the Brit took 69 seconds to brutally kick Materlia’s liver, and a year later gave him no chance in the rematch, this time knocking him out in the third round. These fights showed that Materla is not on the level of either Askham or Mamed, the current champion. On Saturday it turned out that even Soldić is at least a shelf higher. Materla is still the player who separates the second-tier players from the elite. His clashes will still be very popular, but he can forget about the belts.
Tomasz Narkun wants to rule the next five years
30-year-old Tomasz Narkun (18-3) is the KSW champion with the longest experience. He has been in charge of a light heavyweight for five years and is still not going to stop. On Saturday he defeated the formidable Ivan Erslan (9-1), for whom it was the first defeat in his career. In the second round, Narkun knocked the rival to the mat with a powerful punch to the jaw, and then ended up choking him from behind his back. Narkun is currently one of the biggest stars of KSW. He made himself known to a wider audience after two victories against Mamed Khalidov, the middleweight champion. Then he wanted to raise the heavyweight, but he could not stand up to the huge mass of Philip De Fries and lost smoothly on points. The resident of Szczecin realized that he felt best in the category up to 93 kg. – What are my plans now? Rule the next five years in KSW – declared Narkun.
The Pole will probably stay in KSW, but let us just remind you that the 36-year-old Jan Błachowicz, the current light heavyweight champion in UFC, made his US debut at the age of 30.
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Karolina Owczarz’s first defeat
– People see me as the favorite in the fight, because Justyna Haba is not very well known in Poland. But she knows her stuff. She showed her great side in the legendary Japanese Rizin federation. Before someone starts writing Justyna for failure, I would advise you to take a look at this player. I am convinced that it will be the biggest challenge in my career – said Karolina Owczarz before the fight. The former Polsat journalist was right. It was her most difficult journey in her career. Haba (3-1) won on points after an emotional duel. For the Łódź player (3-1) it was only the first loss in her career.
Fight of the evening:
- 185 lb: Michał Materla (29-8, 10 KO, 13 SUB) lost to Roberto Soldic (1l8-3, 15 KO, 1 SUB)
- Main card:
- 205 lb: Tomasz Narkun (18-3, 3 KO, 14 SUB) defeated Ivan Erslan (9-1, 5 KO, 1 SUB) by submission (choke from behind the back) in the second round – fight for the KSW champion belt in light heavyweight category
- 125 lb: Justyna Haba (3-1, 1 KO, 1 SUB) defeated Karolina Owczarz (3-1, 2 SUB) by unanimous decision of the judges.
- 170 lb: Marius Žaromskis (22-9, 15 KO, 1 SUB) defeated Andrzej Grzebyk (17-4, 10 KO, 3 SUB) by TKO (leg injury) in the first round.
- 161 lb: Mateusz Legierski (7-0, 4 KO, 1 SUB) defeated Francisco Barrio (7-2, 2 KO, 4 SUB) with the majority decision of the judges (29-28, 29-28, 28-28).
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