Champion vs. champion fights seem to be all the rage right now.
KSW has announced that light heavyweight champion, Tomasz Narkun (16-2) will make the move to heavyweight to challenge defending champion Phil De Fries (16-6) at KSW 47. The event is scheduled to take place at the Atlas Arena in Lodz, Poland on March 23.
Narkun won the KSW Light Heavyweight Championship back at KSW 32 in October 2015, where he defeated Goran Reljic by first-round KO/TKO. The 29-year-old has since defended his title five times. In March 2018, Narkun defeated Mamed Khalidov, who was unbeaten in KSW after 18 fights with the promotion since 2007. Narkun’s third-round triangle choke submission will be remembered as one of the best moments of international mixed martial arts in 2018. Most recently, Narkun managed to score a unanimous decision victory against Khalidov in a highly anticipated rematch at KSW 46 in December.
Phil De Fries recently captured the promotion’s heavyweight title when he defeated Michal Andryszak in April 2018. His first-round knockout victory was a surprise to fans all around the world who had mostly backed Andrysazak to claim the vacant title. In October last year, De Fries defended his title successfully against Karol Bedorf at KSW 45. De Fries won a Submission of the Night award after submitting Bedorf with a keylock in the latter stages of round two. The former UFC fighter is now 2-0 with KSW.
This extraordinary matchup will headline an already exciting event that is set to feature many talented fighters and athletes.
In the co-main event, Borys Mankowski (19-7-1) will battle Dricus Du Plessis (12-2) in a welterweight fight. Both former champions will be looking to return to winning ways after suffering defeat in their last outing.
Another notable contest is the heavyweight matchup between Mariusz Pudzianowski (12-6) and Szymon Kolecki (6-1), set to feature on the main card.
Pudzianowski has won five World’s Strongest Man titles. He won his last title in 2008 before then deciding to drop his training so that he could focus on a career in mixed martial arts.
Kolecki is a former competitive weightlifter who won a gold medal at the 2008 Olympic Games and a silver medal at the 2000 Olympic Games.
KSW 47 is shaping up to be an event that mixed martial arts fans will not want to miss.