Philip De Fries Wipes Out Darko Stosic to Retain Heavyweight Strap at KSW 67

The latest Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki event featured plenty of action as all but one contest ended inside the distance.

In the KSW 67 headliner, Philip De Fries put his heavyweight championship on the line against fellow Ultimate Fighting Championship alum Darko Stosic. Aware that his opponent featured remarkable knockout power, De Fries (21-6, 1NC; 7-0 KSW) immediately resorted to his grappling skills, dragging Stosic to the canvas and letting the Serbian taste leather throughout the fight. The British champion set effective takedowns that allowed him to control the challenger on the mat and score with ground-and-pound. Stosic (16-5, 3-1 KSW) struggled to contain his adversary's offense and was denied in many attempts to get back on the feet.

While De Fries manhandled his opponent on the canvas, the Englishman didn't quite look close to finishing Stosic. In the fifth stanza, things took an unexpected turn, where De Fries captured his opponent's back and unloaded some punches. A visibly exhausted Stosic attempted to resist, but he gave up due to a mix of strikes landed by his foe and fatigue. The official time indicated the 3:44 of Round 5.

In victory, De Fries not only scored his ninth straight conquest, but also became the owner of the longest title defense streak in KSW history by beating six contenders.

WOW!! 🤯 @bartos_mma beats Grzebyk!! #KSW67 pic.twitter.com/57POjrsYfe

— KSW (@KSW_MMA) February 26, 2022

In the co-main event, Adrian Bartosinski locked horns with former Fight Exclusive Night two-division champion Andrzej Grzebyk in a welterweight affair. Bartosinski (11-0, 3-0 KSW) showcased a sharper and more effective striking game, picking him apart in the first half of Round 1 with punches and kicks. The strikes allowed Bartosinski to set up a nice takedown that forced Grzebyk (18-5, 2-2 KSW) to fight with his back on the mat for the remaining duration. Grzebyk, who missed weight by .6 pounds ahead of the fight, resurged back on the feet right in time to land a nice right hand before the first horn sounded. A much more confident Grzebyk staggered Bartosinski early in Round 2, knocking him down. Bartosinski entered into survival mode as he retaliated to his opponent's punches with a kneebar attempt. Grzebyk fought the submission back for a few seconds, but he was forced to tap after 33 seconds into the second frame.

Elsewhere, Igor Michaliszyn (9-2, 1-0 KSW) showed no mercy for late-replacement Idris Amizhaev (10-5, 0-1 KSW) as he walked through his opponent with punches before finishing him with an elbow 66 seconds into their 176-pound catchweight tilt.

Dawid Smielowski (9-0, 1-0 KSW) scored an exciting comeback victory after smashing Filip Pejic (15-7-2, 2-5 KSW) with only eight seconds left in their 151-pound catchweight; Adam Soldaev (6-1, 1-0 KSW) landed a walk-off knockout at the expense of Pascal Hintzen (7-1, 0-1 KSW) after staggering his opponent with a perfectly-timed right counter at the 3:18 mark of Round 1 at featherweight; in a bantamweight affair, Zuriko Jojua (8-1, 1-0 KSW) tapped Shamil Banukayev (7-2, 0-1 KSW) thanks to a slick armbar at 1:57 in the third frame; Borys Borkowski (4-1, 1-1 KSW) stopped Arkadiusz Kaszuba (3-1, 0-1 KSW) with punches and elbows from the crucifix position at the 3:55 mark of their middleweight encounter; in a 161-pound catchweight, Yann Liasse (6-1, 1-0 KSW) outwrestled Oskar Szczepaniak (2-1, 0-1 KSW) en route to a unanimous decision.