JUMPING KNEE!!!!
🇵🇱 @bartos_mma 👑 XTB #KSW89 pic.twitter.com/VmFqkC6DWy— KSW (@KSW_MMA) December 16, 2023
Fight Facts is a breakdown of all of the interesting information and cage curiosities on every card, with some puns, references and portmanteaus to keep things fun. These deep stat dives delve into the numbers, providing historical context and telling the stories behind those numbers.
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TOTAL NUMBER OF KSW FIGHTS: 826
TOTAL NUMBER OF KSW EVENTS: 95
KSW tried to go big for its final show of the year, but the typically bombastic fight promotion instead went out with a whimper, as the action was at a premium throughout the day. A double champion found that he bit off more than he could chew when vying for a third throne, and age played a major factor in the co-headliner. KSW 89 featured one of the lowest finish rates of any KSW card, the most active fighter in organizational history going for gold one last time and a brutal front kick to the body that may have rearranged some vital organs.
Can’t All Be Bangers: At night’s end, KSW 89 ended with a stoppage rate of just 20% overall. This clocks in as the lowest of any major KSW card ever run.
Too Big, Too Strong: After five hard-fought rounds, Adrian Bartosinski defended his welterweight strap against two-division champ Salahdine Parnasse. The win marked only the second time the 14-0 Polish titleholder had ever gone the distance.
A Weekend for Welterweights: The victory against Parnasse was Bartosinski’s first defense of his 170-pound throne, having claimed it over Artur Szczepaniak in April. He is one of four in company history to achieve this feat, joining Aslambek Saidov, Borys Mankowski and Roberto Soldic.
History on Hold: Parnasse attempted history in defeat as he tried to become the first champion in three weight divisions in a major MMA organization. He remains the undisputed featherweight and lightweight beltholder even with his loss, and his next fight is scheduled in his home country in April.
PP Def. MM: Pawel Pawlak staved off the resurgent Michal Materla to defend his grip on the middleweight strap after 25 minutes of combat. He, Mamed Khalidov, and Materla are the only three fighters to win the middleweight title and defend it at least once.
Magic 30: While he did not get his hand raised, Materla made his 30th walk to the KSW cage or ring. He extends his lead for the most bouts of any fighter in organizational history, putting himself three ahead of former rival Khalidov.
More Deserving Than Colby: Eight of Materla’s 30 fights with KSW have been for titles. He is tied with Borys Mankowski and Parnasse for the fourth-most title tilts in league history. They all trail Tomasz Narkun’s 11.
Could Be Worse: The loss for Materla was his eighth in the organization, putting him in a four-way tie for the second-most ever suffered. Artur Sowinski’s 10 stands above the pack.
Remember Your Olympic Training: In a bloody effort, Damian Janikowski beat Tomasz Romanowski. The 34-year-old from Wroclaw, Poland, has now amassed nine victories with KSW. Just 15 fighters in the history of the promotion have notched more.
Rocket Raul: Raul Tutarauli clobbered Marcin Held to earn one of two stoppages on the evening. The Georgian boosted his career finish rate to just over 75% by laying waste to his fellow veteran.
Overstamped Passport: Held made his company debut at this event, as a veteran of Bellator MMA, the Ultimate Fighting Championship and Professional Fighters League. He is the first fighter in MMA history to compete for all four organizations.
Alvin, Szymon and Theodore: Needing every minute to overcome Viktor Pesta, Szymon Bajor claimed a split nod on the scorecards. The decision win was just the fifth of the heavyweight’s career, lowering his overall finish rate to 80%.
Got Nothing on Bob Vila: Ahmed Vila got the better of Lukasz Charzewski en route to a decision triumph. The Polish fighter nicknamed “Harry” has heard the final bell in 10 of his 15 career outings, including six of seven—and on that stretch, one match ended via no contest.
How Prototypical: Earning the stoppage in 16 seconds, Wilson Varela crushed Sebastian Rajewski with a body kick. “The Prototype” celebrates a finish rate of about 73% with his win, and he posts an equal number of knockouts to submissions on his ledger.
Fiery Frenchman: The 16-second bludgeoning of Rajewski clocks in as the fourth-fastest knockout in KSW history, tied with Marcin Rozalski’s one-hitter quitter of Fernando Rodrigues Jr. at KSW 39 in 2017. The quickest came in 2022 when Bogdan Gnidko smoked Damian Piwowarczyk in five seconds at KSW 73.
Long Distance Runners: In the lone women’s bout of the card, Emilia Czerwinska outdueled Natalia Baczynska-Krawiec to pick up the decision. In their 14 combined professional outings, the ladies have involved the judges in 11 of those.
Never Say Never Again: Coming into KSW 89, Parnasse had never lost on the scorecards (19 fights), Materla had never fought beyond the fourth round (42 fights) and Wojciech Kazieczko had never dropped consecutive bouts (four fights).