Five Reasons to Watch KSW 47

This Saturday, March 23 KSW 47 takes place live from the Atlas Arena in Loz, Poland. It is the first event of the year for KSW and it is certainly starting with a huge card in every sense of the word. If you needed any, here are five reasons to watch KSW 47 live on www.KSWTV.com.

1. Champ vs. Champ Main Event

The UK’s Phil De Fries (16-6) will defend his heavyweight title against the light heavyweight champion Tomasz Narkun (16-2) in the main event. Both men are on the top of their game at the moment and both enter this superfight on equally impressive win streaks.

Last year De Fries entered KSW following back to back wins in M-1 and Bellator and won the title in his first fight when he defeated KO machine Michal Andryszak, who was on a six-fight-win-streak at the time, with a dominant first round TKO. The 32-year-old then made history by becoming the first foreign fighter in KSW history to win and defend a title on home soil when he submitted former long time champ Karol Bedorf in the main event of KSW 45 in London. With De Fries’ now really finding himself he poses a formidable task for anyone but Tomasz Narkun will fancy his chances.

Last year Narkun became the first man to ever beat Mamed Khalidov in KSW, a streak which lasted almost twenty fights over the past decade, and he did it twice. The 29-year-old is now on a seven-fight-win-streak which includes an impressive three first round finishes in his three title defenses.

Both men hold an impressive stat of having twelves submission victories each and having never been submitted themselves. This is an incredibly intriguing contest and one which could go either way. Which will prevail - size & power or speed & agility?

2. World’s Strongest MMA Fight

With a billing like that how could you not be interested! Five Time World’s Strongest Man Mariusz Pudzianowski (12-6) collides with Olympic Weightlifting Gold Medalist Szymon Kolecki (6-1) in the co-main event of KSW 47.

Both men are national heroes in Poland and international stars for their strength but both are now dedicated to mixed martial arts. Pudzianowski made his MMA debut in 2009 and, despite all obstacles, he has achieved some incredible success in MMA and holds wins over UFC veterans Sean McCorkle, Oli Thompson, Jay Silva, and Rolles Gracie, as well as wins over combat sports veterans Butterbean, Bob Sapp, and Pawel Nastula. While most men are well past their prime at 42-years-old, Pudzianowski seems to be only improving and has shown an ever growing technical ability and gas tank.

Five years Pudzianowski’s junior but also holding years less MMA experience is Szymon Kolecki. A gold medalist at the Beijing Olympics, Kolecki turned to MMA in 2017 and wracked off six straight first round TKO wins in Poland. A decision loss against the undefeated Michal Bobrowski in his last fight served in Kolecki’s favour as he only proved he could go the distance and still be competitive, even while being an underdog.

Pudzianowski vs. Kolecki is a fight of true gigantic proportions.

3. Bad Blood

Who doesn’t like bad blood and a heated backstory in MMA? Well Norman Parke (25-6-1) and Borys Mankowski (19-7-1) are steeped in it. Parke entered KSW in 2017 and fought Mankowski’s teammate Matesuz Gamrot for the lightweight title in a pair of highly intense fights. Following the second fight, which ended in a no contest due to an eye poke, Parke and Mankowski clashed in the cage and now they will finally settle the score.

Mankowski is the former KSW welterweight champion and is returning to action after over a year out due to various niggling injuries. The 29-year-old has wins over UFC veterans Jesse Taylor, John Maguire, and David Zawada, but is now looking to bounce back and get back to winning ways after losing the title in his last fight.

Norman Parke comes into this contest on a 4-1 run, getting wins over the likes of Paul Redmond and Myles Price. This is his first fight back at welterweight in a long time. He notoriously is known for having a tough cut so it will be interesting how he will perform without having to do a full weight cut.

4. Satoshi Ishii Debut

It is no secret that KSW takes a lot of inspiration from old Japanese MMA events. So it is rather exciting to have one of Japan’s most decorated MMA fighters make his KSW debut. Satoshi Ishii (20-8-1) is an Olympic Gold medalist Judoka and has been competing professionally since 2009 and has registered wins over former UFC, ADCC, and K1 champions, and he holds a win over current KSW heavyweight champion Phil De Fries.

Ishii comes into KSW 47 on a five fight win streak, all stoppages, and is now looking the most complete he ever has. He faces a former champ in Brazil’s Fernando Rodrigues Jr. (12-4) in what is a complete clash of styles. While Ishii is more reserved and calculated in his fighting style, Rodrigues is a big strong heavyweight who loves to come forward throwing a barrage of punches and generally likes to bully his opponents.

Both men will need to be on the top of their game for this one. At heavyweight anything can happen.

5. The Olympian vs. The Joker

With an Olympic bronze medal in wrestling, Damian Janikowski (3-1) always has a lot of attention around him. He made his MMA debut in 2017 with a win over experienced veteran Julio Gallegos in a fight which lasted less than 90 seconds. Janikowski followed this up with devastating stoppage wins over former a former KSW champ and a former BAMMA & EFC champ in his subsequent fights. In his next fight the 29-year-old then came up short against Michal Materla, one of Europe’s best middleweights over the past decade. Now he will be aiming to learn from his first loss in MMA.

However, at KSW 47 he faces a tough test in KO artist Aleksandar Ilic (10-2). The Serbian has six TKO wins, an 80% finishing ratio, and has registered seven first round stoppages. Being so dangerous and having more experience in MMA makes Ilic a very tough test for Janikowski.

KSW 47 will be available to watch live around the world via online PPV at www.KSWTV.com.

KSW 47 Fight Card

Main Event - Champ Vs. Champ

Heavyweight Title Fight

Champion Phil De Fries (16-6) vs. Tomasz Narkun (16-2)

Co-Main Event - Heavyweight

Mariusz Pudzianowski (12-6) vs. Szymon Kolecki (6-1)

Welterweight

Borys Mankowski (19-7-1) vs. Norman Parke (25-6-1)

Heavyweight

Satoshi Ishii (19-8-1) vs. Fernando Rodrigues Jr. (12-4)

Middleweight

Damian Janikowski (3-1) vs. Aleksandar Ilic (10-2)

Featherweight

Marcin Wrzosek (13-5) vs. Krzystof Klaczek (12-5)

Flyweight

Karolina Owczarz (1-0) vs. Marta Chojnoska (1-1)

Lightweight

Bartlomiej Kopera (9-4) vs. Maciej Kazieczko (4-1)

Bantamweight

Dawid Gralka (6-2) vs. Pawel Politylo (3-1)

KSW 47 live around the world on www.KSWTV.com.

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Five Reasons to Watch KSW 47

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