Philip De Fries Chokes Out Szymon Bajor, Scores Ninth Title Defense at KSW 84

UNSTOPPABLE!! #KSW84 #AndStill

The King 🇬🇧 @phildefriesmma 👑 pic.twitter.com/UaqlQst0fy

— KSW (@KSW_MMA) July 15, 2023

Philip De Fries keeps making history as the Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki heavyweight champion.

In the KSW 84 headliner, De Fries (24-6, 1 NC; 10-0 KSW) re-asserted that he’s one of the most dangerous heavyweight fighters in any promotion, as he choked out Szymon Bajor on Saturday at Polsat Plus Arena in Gdynia, Poland, for his ninth consecutive title defense. A Professional Fighters League alum, Bajor (24-10, 2-2 KSW) had some success with his strikes at the beginning of the clash, giving the defending champion trouble with his dirty boxing. When De Fries felt his opponent was taking too much liberty with his punches, the Ultimate Fighting Championship veteran shot for a successful takedown and kept Bajor on the canvas for the rest of the round, landing punches and forcing Bajor to carry his weight.

De Fries relied on his grappling skills right out of the gate in the second frame, piling up more ground-and-pound. Bajor’s resistance was futile, as De Fries kept advancing and improving his position with exhausting patience. When the Englishman saw an opening from the back, he sank in a rear-naked choke attempt. Even though he never put the hooks in, the submission was tight, and Bajor passed out. The official end came at the 4:57 mark of Round 2.

PUT. TO. SLEEP!! 😴 #KSW84

🇵🇱 @przybyszmma with a victory in his hometown!! pic.twitter.com/PSOrq9BCAM

— KSW (@KSW_MMA) July 15, 2023

In the co-main event, former divisional titleholder Sebastian Przybysz made a point that he is more than versatile with his grappling, as he choked out promotional newcomer Islam Djabrailov in front of a partizan crowd. Przybysz (12-3-1, 9-2 KSW) was simply too much to handle for Djabrailov (8-5, 0-1 KSW) with his stinging strikes. Still, it was on the mat where “Sebic” gave his best by winning the scrambles and not allowing his opponent to get back on his feet. Shortly after the beginning of Round 3, Przybysz put Djabrailov into a tight guillotine choke. Djabrailov attempted a timid defense, but Przybysz made some adjustments and set the submission attempt even tighter. Djabrailov ultimately passed out before he could tap. The official end came at 1:21 of the third period.

𝐊𝐍𝐎𝐂𝐊𝐎𝐔𝐓!!!💣

🇷🇸 Darko Stosic brings the pain once again!! #KSW84 pic.twitter.com/Ubms9sk4hD

— KSW (@KSW_MMA) July 15, 2023

Elsewhere, Olympic bronze medalist Damian Janikowski (9-5, 8-5 KSW) outpointed Cezariusz Kesik (13-4, 3-4 KSW) on all scorecards (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) en route to a unanimous decision at middleweight; UFC veteran Darko Stosic (18-6, 5-1 KSW) mauled Stefan Vojcak (6-1, 0-1 KSW) with punches at 2:34 of the third stanza at heavyweight; 185-pounder Bartosz Lesko (13-3-2, 2-1 KSW) submitted Nemanja Nikolic (10-1-1, 0-1 KSW) with a rear-naked choke after softening his foe with a spinning-back kick at 4:40 of the first period; UFC featherweight alum Damian Stasiak (14-9, 3-3 KSW) forced Pascal Hintzen (8-3, 1-3 KSW) to tap due to a tight triangle choke at 1:52 of Round 1; bantamweight Gustavo Oliveira (10-2, 1-1 KSW) overcame Bruno Augusto dos Santos (10-5, 1-4 KSW) after the doctor stopped the contest 1:52 into the third frame when a spinning back elbow opened a deep cut on dos Santos’ head; Damian Mieczkowski (2-0, 1-0 KSW) outstruck Borys Dzikowski (3-1, 2-1 KSW) en route to a unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-26) at middleweight; and the 135-pound clash between Patryk Chrobak (2-3, 1NC; 0-2, 1NC KSW) and Milosz Melchert (2-1, 1NC; 0-1, 1NC KSW) was ruled no contest due to an accidental clash of heads in the opening frame.