Mariusz 'PUDZIAN' Pudzianowski! #KSW59 pic.twitter.com/gUcwrqLkbK
— KSW (@KSW_MMA) March 20, 2021
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TOTAL NUMBER OF KSW FIGHTS: 553
TOTAL NUMBER OF KSW EVENTS: 65
KSW underwent a substantial change hours before the card and still managed to deliver a wild event. A rare super heavyweight tilt capped off KSW 59, which featured an unexpected title change, a victor who has grown up in the league and a former UFC fighter showing just how good he is.
Eight Is Great, But Nine Is Just Fine: KSW 59 is the first event since 2019 to feature any number other than exactly eight bouts. Nine tilts took place throughout the night.
The Brothers Rajewski: Brothers Lukasz Rajewski and Sebastian Rajewski competed on KSW 59, and both prevailed by winning decisions over Konrad Dyrschka and Savo Lazic, respectively. They both previously appeared at KSW 54 together, and both also won decisions that night.
Too Big to Fail: On Saturday morning, scheduled headliner Serigne Ousmane Dia fell ill with appendicitis and withdrew from his contest with Mariusz Pudzianowski. The promotion kept the main event intact, slotting in KSW 59 competitor Darko Stosic’s cornerman Nikola Milanovic to compete at super heavyweight.
Walrus Slapfight: The new marquee attraction between Pudzianowski and Milanovic took place in the super heavyweight category, although Milanovic’s weight was undisclosed. It is the first KSW bout above heavyweight since Pawel Mikolajuw faced Robert Burneika at KSW 39 in 2017.
The World’s Strongest Man: Pudzianowski, with his fight with Dia and then Milanovic scheduled for super heavyweight, is responsible for nine of ten super heavyweight matches in KSW history.
Thanks To Several Fence Grabs: Pudzianowski battered short-notice replacement foe Milanovic in 70 seconds to record another knockout. The Polish icon has finished 64 percent of his foes in victory, and they have all come from strikes.
Easiest of Them All: The win in KSW was Pudzianowski’s 14th, putting him in fifth place for the most wins in company history. Lukasz Jurkowski (15), Jan Blachowicz (16), Mamed Khalidov and Michal Materla (19 each) all have earned more.
Not Much Time Left on the Clock: “Pudzian” last competed in November 2019, making his layoff of over 16 months the longest in his career. The 44-year-old left strongman competitions to make his MMA debut in 2009.
The Trilogy Looms: For the first time in the KSW cage, Antun Racic lost. Racic failed to defend his bantamweight throne, and former foe Sebastian Przybysz scored the upset by decision and avenged a 2018 loss in the process.
Rack ‘Em: Even in defeat, Racic extended his lead for the most appearances in KSW bantamweight history with six.
Calling All Judges: The last 12 fights for Racic have all gone the distance, dating back to a submission loss in 2015. In comparison, he has more consecutive bouts going to the scorecards than opponent Przybysz holds in career fights.
Long Distance Runner: Racic has left his bout in the hands of the judges in each of his seven KSW bouts. Only four fighters have involved the judges more: Aslambek Saidov and Borys Mankowski (eight each), and Antoni Chmielewski and Artur Sowinski (nine each).
Scaling the Radcliffe: Damian Janikowski put Jason Radcliffe away late into the second round. England’s Radcliffe has still only gone the distance one time in his 24-fight career, and it is just the sixth time he had ever fought beyond the first round.
Home Grown Boy: Each of Janikowski’s nine career bouts has taken place in the KSW cage. He currently holds the most appearances of any fighter to never compete elsewhere.
Donnie Darko: Making his successful KSW debut, Ultimate Fighting Championship vet Stosic returned to heavyweight and clobbered Michal Wlodarek with one diving punch. While he holds four career losses, they have all come at 205 pounds; Stosic is now a flawless at 13-0 in bouts above 205 pounds.
Might as Well Knock Him Out: With the finish of Lionel Padilla Suarez coming at 4:05 of the third round, Adrian Bartosinski lodged the sixth latest win in KSW non-title history.
One-Eyed Bart: Bartosinski ran his unbeaten record to 10-0 by putting Suarez away. He earned his eighth knockout as a pro, boosting his career finish (and knockout) rate to 80 percent.
Never Say Never Again: Coming into KSW 59, Krystian Kaszubowski (10 fights) and Dyrschka (13 fights) had never lost on the scorecards, Wlodarek (10 fights) and Suarez (nine fights) had never been knocked out and Lazic had never lost consecutive bouts (15 fights).