Former Boxing Champ Pawel Wolak to Make MMA Debut at Matrix Fights 9

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Pawel Wolak’s professional mixed martial arts debut finally has a date and a venue.

The former WBC USNBC light middleweight interim champion will step into the cage for the first time at Matrix Fights 9, the promotion headed by ex-Bellator matchmaker Sam Caplan. The event takes place on Dec. 5 at the Pennsylvania National Guard Armory in Philadelphia. Wolak does not yet have an opponent.

“Pawel wrestled in high school, and for the past couple of years he has received world class training from Renzo Gracie’s top MMA and BJJ instructors while also sparring the likes of Eddie Alvarez and Frank Edgar,” Caplan said in a release. “Simply put, Pawel Wolak has all the tools to be a wrecking machine in MMA... A lot of promotions pursued Pawel and his camp in order to try and get him to make his debut on their show. We are very excited that Pawel and his management team chose Matrix Fights as the promotion where he will launch his professional MMA career.”

Wolak first announced his intentions to pursue a career in MMA more than two years ago. The 33-year-old Pole retired from boxing in 2011 with a professional mark of 29-2-1. He last competed on Dec. 3, 2011, losing a unanimous decision to Delvin Rodriguez at Madison Square Garden in New York. Wolak finished 19 of his foes via knockout and was generally regarded as one of the top 10 fighters in the world at his weight class.

“I plan on being champion,” Wolak said. “I am not doing this for fun. I am doing this because I want to be world champion and the most successful crossover boxer ever into MMA, and I believe I will be. It won’t be tomorrow. It’s a process. But I come in respecting every fighter out there regardless of their records and rank. I’m not dumb enough to think that nobody is unbeatable. That’s why we fight.”

Editor’s note: This item was updated on Oct. 21 at 4:03 p.m. PT. The article originally stated that Wolak was a former WBC light middleweight world champion.