In just his third pro MMA fight, Olympic medalist 🇵🇱 @d_janikowski 🥉 did this to multi-promotional MMA champion Yannick Bahati. 🤯
He is 🔙 this Saturday! XTB #KSW89 pic.twitter.com/d41Jveca88— KSW (@KSW_MMA) December 14, 2023
Damian Janikowski seems to be part of the long-term plans in Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki.
The 34-year-old middleweight will try to give himself some breathing room and move one step closer to title contention when he meets Berserkers Team standout Tomasz Romanowski in a featured KSW 89 attraction this Saturday at PreZero Arena in Gliwice, Poland. Janikowski enters the match on the strength of back-to-back victories. He last appeared at KSW 84, where he laid claim to a three-round unanimous decision over Cezariusz Kesik on July 15. The Wroclaw, Poland, native has secured six of his nine career victories by knockout, technical knockout or submission.
As Janikowski closes in on his forthcoming battle with Romanowski at 185 pounds, here are five things you might not know about him:
1. The singlet lit his path.
An accomplished international Greco-Roman wrestler, Janikowski won a bronze medal in the discipline at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. He was ousted by Egypt’s Karam Gaber in the semifinals, then defeated France’s Mlonin Noumonvi to share the bronze with Kazakhstan’s Daniyal Gadzhiyev. Janikowski was also a silver medalist at the 2011 World Wrestling Championships, where he lost to Belarus’ Alim Selimau in the final.
2. A late start in MMA has not been much of a hindrance.
Janikowski made his professional mixed martial arts debut at the age of 27 when he put away Gerardo Julio Gallegos with a knee strike and follow-up punches at KSW 39 on May 27, 2017. He started his career with three straight victories, all of them finishes.
3. Loyalty appears to be a selling point.
All but one of Janikowski’s fights have taken place in KSW. The lone exception? He took a three-round unanimous decision from Mateusz Kubiszyn at a High League show on Dec. 10, 2022.
4. He can point to a stout strength of schedule.
Janikowski’s five losses have come against Ultimate Fighting Championship veteran Tom Breese, reigning KSW titleholder Pawel Pawlak, Olympic gold medal-winning powerlifter Szymon Kolecki, current Russian Cagefighting Championship headliner Aleksandar Ilic and former KSW champion Michal Materla. Those five men own a combined record of 97-23-1.
5. He chose a well-stocked armory.
The 5-foot-11, 185-pound Janikowski operates out of the Skra Fight Club camp founded by Polish judoka Robert Jocz. Several UFC veterans have made their way to the Warsaw, Poland, gym, including Bartosz Fabinski and Sarah Frota.