KSW 98 Preview; Paczuski v Zerhouni, Piwowarczik v Wójcik

KSW returns to Lubin in western Poland this Saturday night for the second time. The stunning Hala CRS will host KSW 98, and we are in for a compelling card with ten fights on deck under KSW MMA rules.

The main event features the return of Radosław Paczuski (6-2), hot off the heels of his leg kick seminar win over Kacper Karski last July. The Uniq Fight Club man is a teammate of the likes of Arek Wrzosek and Marek Samociuk, and trains under the watchful eye of grappling supremo and UFC veteran Bartosz Fabiński. The 31-year-old is a superb kickboxer and was a FEN champion at that discipline. Radek is an exciting fan favourite both in the cage and in his walkout. His power is his biggest asset and few opponents can cope with it. Laïd Zerhouni (13-8) shocked Paczuksi’s coach Bartosz Fabiński by an eleven-second knockout in his KSW debut back in January. The Frenchman of Algerian heritage followed that up months later in Paris, with a first round rear naked choke on home soil. The Montpellier man trains at “Le Bonne Ecole”, or “The Good School” under PFL veteran Elias Boudegzdame. The 28-year-old is a well rounded martial artist, and has had a strong, eclectic grappling game from day one. He loved to attack the legs and the arms. Since then he’s developed a heavy hitting striking game that has put a good few clips on his highlight reel. His submission threat nowadays is with the rear naked choke. A natural finisher, he’s returning to Poland to earn another Warsaw scalp. Paczuski is the favourite, however he’ll likely need to be the first to knock out Laïd to do so.

Damian Piwowarczyk (8-3) returns for the first time since February and does so under his new club, Nemesis in Warsaw under Robert Jocz and Krzysztof Gutowski. The Białogard man was runner up in the Light Heavyweight Title tournament at KSW Epic, losing to the more experienced Rafał Haratyk. At 26-years-old, “Damsyn” is likely years away from his peak and already has an impressive résumé to show. At 6ft6”, he uses his long limbs well in the submission game, and lately his striking has been on another level, using kicks, knees and elbows on opponents’ heads and bodies to create stoppages. His only decision was in his debut, and his only losses were to experienced title winners or contenders. Everyone loves Piwo and the future is very bright. Marcin Wójcik (19-9) is another experienced head around European MMA, and the PFL veteran will make the walk for the tenth time under the KSW banner. Another competitor in the Epic tournament, he lost to Haratyk by knockout in the first round. The 35-year-old is dangerous when he smells blood, having seventeen finishes on his record. “The Giant” has been using his impressive boxing skills to finish fights lately, bringing the power with his hooks, uppercuts and straights. The Ankos MMA man is also a slick submission player who loves an arm triangle, but is dangerous everywhere. I’m picking the youth and early aggression of Piwowarczyk to get it done early before Wójcik can get settled.

Bogdan Gnidko (10-2) is a frightening fast-twitch athlete who bulldozes over opponents. The Ukrainian counts in seconds, not in minutes. The Kyiv man has ten first-round victories, the majority coming from his devastating punching power. The 23-year-old also has a good submission game and a big head kick in his arsenal. He is looking to bounce back after two defeats in-a-row and get back to head cracking ways. Dominik Humburger (8-1) is making his first foray into the light heavyweight division. The Czech had great success at middleweight, winning three of his four KSW bouts to date. Every one of his wins has been through striking. The 28-year-old can get things to the mat, where he loves to use his crushing ground and pound to end it. On the feet, he throws regularly with ill intent, and that huge power lasts all fifteen minutes. The danger is never over. Gnidko will be looking to get this done within the first few minutes, and if Humburger can survive that, his own power should come into play.

Artur Szczepaniak (10-3) is a very, very exciting fighter. The Pole trains out of Genk in Belgium, and loves to travel home to entertain the audience. The 27-year-old is a powerful kickboxer with massive kicks and brutal punches. All his decisions were early in his career, and his losses were to the likes of UFC standout Benoit Saint-Denis, KSW champion Adrian Bartosiński and dangerous Latvian Madars Fleminas. “King” Artur is a top fighter looking for the kill, and he’s got the skills to do it. Krystian Kaszubowski (11-4) is another man that guarantees entertainment. Heading into his tenth promotional fight, the Mighty Bulls Gdynia man puts a high pace on in the striking game, terrorising opponents over fifteen minutes. Kris has a strong wrestling game and has only come unstuck against premier talents such as Roberto Soldić, Michał Pietrzak, Adrian Bartosiński and Fantom MMA’s Henry Fadipe. Szczepaniak will want to catch Kaszubowski early before he can dig into his trenches.

The owner of one of 2024’s knockouts of the year returns for his sophomore MMA bout. Krzysztof Głowacki (1-0) scored a knockout victory from his back at Colosseum 2 last summer. The 38-year-old transitioned from the pro boxing world and has a 32-4 (20 KO) record in that realm. “Główka” has fought the undisputed heavyweight boxing champion Oleksandr Usyk, coming up short in a decision. The highlight of his career was retaining his WBO cruiserweight title against Steve Cunningham. Knockouts knockouts knockouts are his game plan. Dawid Kasperski (1-0) comes from the kickboxing world, and has competed for Glory in the past. The 34-year-old was a winner of the 2014 SuperKombat World Grand Prix. The Pole also won a WAKO K-1 title in 2016. He won his MMA debut by decision at KSW 91 in February. Not known for his power, he’ll need to be very technical to avoid Głowacki’s knockout strength, which I’m not betting on.

Zuriko Jojua (9-2) came up short in his title fight to bantamweight king Jakub Wikłacz in March. The Georgian is a fantastic wrestler with a slick submission game. The 28-year-old has a mean armbar and triangle choke. He is built to last the distance and can be competitive throughout. Werlleson Martins (18-6) knows the heartache of losing a title fight, falling short to then champion Sebastian Przybysz in April 2022. The 29-year-old is a well rounded fighter. The Brazilian is a super submission player and also a talented kickboxer. He’s brave and never out of a fight, if there’s time left he can finish it. This will be a battle between two men with great will and resolve. Jojua’s wrestling could be a game changer here.

Daniel Skibiński (21-9) is a man who was tipped to sign for KSW for years and years, and finally on Saturday night he will debut with the promotion. The Ankos MMA man is a Cage Warriors and Babilon veteran and has a reputation as being one of Poland’s top welterweights. “Skiba” has a wrestling foundation and is a very physical and strong fighter. The 34-year-old has built a credible kickboxing game on-top of his grappling chops. Cardio can be his downfall. Leonardo Damiani (12-7-1) is a Contender Series and Cage Warriors veteran. The Italian is known for his wrestling game, which he uses to go for a rear naked choke or ground and pound. The 34-year-old hasn’t been in the best form of his career of late, however there’s a bit of extra motivation at play here considering the pair met last March, with Skibiński winning a close split decision. Will history repeat itself?

Mariusz Joniak (12-5) has won eight of his last nine bouts and is coming off a great first-round knockout win over Tobiasz Le in February. The 27-year-old is a master of the choke game, taking pride in the ability to produce one in any situation or position. As his last result proved, he’s not to be underestimated on the feet. Islam Djabrailov (10-5) came into KSW after a stellar career on the local scene. The German is a combative fighter with a stellar wrestling base, using it to take the back or rain down heavy blows. As he’s progressed, his list of weapons has only grown and he’s no slouch on the feet. We could be set for some good scrambles here, or maybe a grappler kickboxing fight.

Steven Krt (5-2) has won his last five on-the-bounce after slumping to 0-2 at the start of his pro career. The Czech is a solid grappler who utilises ground and pound, as well as a nice choke game. His last two fights have been decisions and he’s proven to be a tough, dominating fighter since his early woes. Borys Borkowski (4-3) makes the KSW walk for the fifth time. The Pepe MMA man might have one of the hardest strength of schedules in the promotion, signing up to fight Koziorzębski, Humburger and Krakowiak so far. The 27-year-old is a good kickboxer with some finishing power. I’d edge towards Borkowski as his experience is a higher level.

Kacper Fornalski (debut) is a local Lubin native making his first walk as a professional. The young man won the seventh instalment of the Polish Amateur MMA Championships in 2023, and has an extensive record on the ALMMA scene. The Pole was a choke wizard as an amateur, scoring fourteen submissions with seven different techniques. Aleksander Budziłek (1-0) hails from nearby Wrocław. The 24-year-old’s sole victory came via first round rear naked choke. The Pole did show some signs of a kickboxing game at amateur level, with a few knockout wins. The two men are fresh on the pro scene with little to choose between, however I see Fornalski’s submission prowess paying dividends here.

KSW 98 is live from 6pm Irish time on Saturday and access can be purchased at KSWTV.com or on the ViaPlay subscription service in select countries.