Phil De Fries is set to make the first defense of his KSW heavyweight title. According to a report by MMA Junkie, KSW officials have booked De Fries to meet former champion Karl Bedorf at KSW 45 on October 6 at London’s Wembley Arena. De Fries captured the vacant title earlier this year, defeating Michał Andryszak to win gold at KSW 43 in April.

Karol Bedorf, the longest reigning champion in the history of the HW division will fight at #KSW45🇬🇧 in London!

🗓️ October 6th
📍 The SSE Arena, Wembley
🇬🇧 London, England, GB

🎟️ https://t.co/9RUizH315b pic.twitter.com/uVKTAE1qL9

— KSW (@KSW_MMA) July 17, 2018

De Fries (15-6, 1NC) had a brief stint in the UFC, going 2-3 during his run there from 2011 to 2013. Upon his release from the promotion, he became one of the bigger heavyweight free agents, taking fights in Japan, his native England, Russia, and even making a brief stop in Bellator MMA. This year, he signed up with Poland’s KSW, earning the title in his debut fight. He’s currently riding a three fight win streak.

Bedorf (15-3) was KSW’s inaugural and  longest-serving heavyweight champ. He defended the title on three occasions before dropping it to Brazil’s Fernando Rodrigues Jr. in 2016. After some time off, Beforf bounced back this year, picking up a win over Polish strongman Mariusz Pudzianowski.

KSW 45 takes place October 6 in London, England at the Wembley Arena. Phil De Fries vs. Karl Bedorf is expected to serve as the main event.

The post Phil De Fries Defends Heavyweight Title Against Karl Bedorf at KSW 45 appeared first on Cageside Press.

Poland’s KSW (Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki) returned to action on Saturday with KSW 44: The Game. Featuring former World’s Strongest Man Mariusz Pudzianowski facing Karl Bedorf in the main event, plus names like Wagner Prado and Paul Redmond, KSW 44 promised to be an interesting night. Unfortunately, a planned co-main event for the promotion’s vacant featherweight title fell through when Marcin Wrzosek suffered an injury. As a result, original opponent Kleber Koike Erbst was rebooked to face Marian Ziolkowski at a catchweight.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9QJqwKMb0w

Going down at Ergo Arena in Gdansk, Poland, KSW 44 would be the final event for the promotion until October, when KSW was set to return to London’s Wembley Arena. Check back come fight time (the event kicks off at 1PM EST for those in the west) for full results from the event. You can order KSW 44 via KSW TV.

Kicking off the card on Saturday, bantamweight Sebastian Przybysz finished off opponent Dawid Gralka with a thunderous knockout in just under two minutes. Check out the highlight below!

https://twitter.com/KSW_MMA/status/1005504434548461568

In the evening’s main event, the former World’s Strongest Man was throwing hard early. Karol Bedorf, the former KSW heavywegiht champ, answered with leg kicks that forced the mountain of a man back. An ill-advised shot for a takedown by Pudzianowski led to him being on his back, and Bedorf soon had a kimura locked in to force the tap! It did last long, but it was a fun bit of spectacle.

https://twitter.com/KSW_MMA/status/1005557321731395584

KSW 44: Pudzianowski vs. Bedorf Results:

Karol Bedorf def. Mariusz Pudzianowski via submission (kimura), Round 1, 1:51
Michal Materla def. Martin Zawada by TKO (punches), Round 2, 2:59
Erko Jun def. Tomasz Oswiecinski by KO (punch), Round 1, 2:26
Kleber Koike Erbst def. Marian Ziolkowski by submission (armbar), Round 1, 3:34
Filip Wolański def. Daniel Torres by unanimous decision
Gracjan Szadziński def. Paul Redmond by knockout, Round 2, 1:36
Chris Field def. Wagner Prado by TKO, Round 2, 2:17
Lukasz Rajewski def. Leo Zulic by submission (heelhook), Round 1, 1:48
Sebastian Przybysz def. Dawid Gralka by knockout, Round 1, 1:41

The post KSW 44: Pudzianowski vs. Bedorf Results appeared first on Cageside Press.