KSW 122: Yakymenko v Morelli, Zerhouni v Grzebyk

KSW has a show within the Polish borders for the first time in a few months this Saturday. Rzeszów in the South-East of the country will host KSW 122. The Hala Podpromie features nine bouts, including one for an international KSW championship.

Vitalii Yakymenko (11-2) makes the first defence of his KSW Bantamweight Championship, a title he won via split decision against Sebastian Przybysz back in February. The Ukrainian has only tasted defeat once in his last ten, and that was a very close split decision to the PFL’s Jan Ciepłowski. The 30-year-old is a talented wrestler with slick submissions, and if you don’t protect your neck he’s snatching it. The Kharkiv man is also a fine boxer, best shown against UFC veteran Rogério Bontorin in his KSW debut. He has eight stoppage wins. Marcello Morelli (8-4) comes in on a two-fight win streak and this will be his second shot at the 135lb title. The Venezuelan trains out of Uniq Fight Club in Warsaw, currently one of the best gyms in Poland. The 28-year-old is a dangerous striker with an attractive kickboxing game, and he’s picked up wins against Werllson Martins and Patryk Surdyn under the KSW banner so far. He will be aggressive from the start and possesses a knockout threat throughout the fifteen minutes, and he’s won five within the distance.

Andrzej Grzebyk (22-9) will be the main ticket seller for Saturday’s event and he’s always looking to put on a show for his hometown crowd. The Rzeszów man has that “IT” factor, the ability to walk the walk and talk the talk, carrying an aura everywhere he goes. The 35-year-old is a warrior with a flashy kickboxing repertoire that earned him double champ status in FEN and a title shot in KSW. The Pole will mix up his attacks between legs, head and body, keeping his opponent guessing at every step. He’s won thirteen by knockout, and when he hits you clean, you usually stay hit. Laïd Zerhouni (15-10) is a man who packs a lot of living into a short time. The Frenchman has four promotional wins and they usually come with a Fight of the Night bonus. When that opening bell rings, he flies off like the hare in a greyhound race. The 31-year-old carries a death touch in his hands, with a knack for creating highlight reel moments regularly. He’ll also utilise submissions if he needs to, usually with the rear naked choke, but he’s got some good arm and leg locks too. Fourteen victories were before the final bell.

Adam Soldaev (10-3) returns for the first time in a year after some time off due to injuries, and the last time we saw him he came up short in a bout for the KSW Featherweight title to Patryk Kaczmarczyk. The WCA Warsaw man now moves up to lightweight, a move that should suit his striking style perfectly. This will be his eight appearance for the promotion, and he’s known for having slick footwork, patience, high fight IQ and knowing when to launch the killer attack. He’ll use a lot of leg kicks and body shots to open up the head, and his right hand hits like an atlas stone. Six of his wins have been in stand-up exchanges. Mateusz Makarowski (14-7-1) is looking to complete a hat trick  of KSW wins after beating Welisson Paiva and Aymard Guih in 2025. The Rzeszów man will have home support in the crowd, and he’s a former Babilon MMA champion. The 29-year-old has picked up ten knockouts already in his career, and he’s been a punching powerhouse since stepping into the pro arena. He usually gets the job done in the first couple of rounds, however if it reaches the third, that power isn’t going away.

This next fight is a rematch 2024 bout where Marian Ziółkowski (26-11-1) was defeated due to an arm injury. The “Golden Boy” is a former KSW Lightweight champion with three defences of the title, and we last saw him in a knockout victory over Aymard Guih in May. The 36-year-old just completed his fifteenth year of pro MMA competition, and he’s been an exciting, bonus-winning fighter for all that time. The Pole uses his long legs well in grappling exchanges and is particularly dangerous with the triangle choke, alongside his rear naked. The Nemesis Fight Team trains his striking under Krzysztof Gutowski and is one of the most fun to watch in the stand-up. The Warsaw man always looks to come forward, nails the body alongside the head, and has that championship rounds type of cardio. Twenty of his fights have been stoppages. Wilson Varela (13-8) is a former title challenge but came up short to Salahdine Parnasse. The Frenchman won a title in Hexagone MMA over Nicolae Bivol, a former KSW fighter. The 31-year-old is an exciting, explosive type of fighter, and he possesses an absolute canon of a left hand. The Marseille man has a nice guillotine in his repertoire and he’s generally all about bringing violence to the proceedings. This is his first promotional appearance in a year.

Speaking of violence, Sergiusz Zając (9-2) is back in action following his first KSW defeat to the UFC’s newest signing, Damian Piwowarczyk. The Pole will have plenty of support as he trains out of Spartakus Rzeszów in the city. Judges who get drawn for the 27-year-old’s fights usually don’t even need a pen to record their scores, when the ref says “fight”, the hammers start flying. The Żołynia man is one of those that has you on the edge of your seat, nervous as to what will happen next. Every punch, kick, knee and elbow is designed to give you a one-way ticket to the land of nod, and he’s defeated eight opponents by knocking so far. Salim El Ouassaidi (12-4) is a BRAVE CF, LFL and Ares veteran making his first KSW appearance, filling in for Bartosz Szewczyk on short notice. The Frenchman likes to get things down to the mat by takedown or knockdown where he can use his devastating ground and pound. The Moroccan born fighter also swings big on the feet, looking for a clubbing shot to depart you from your senses. Ten of his wins have been via stoppage as well, so he’s also not a fan of leaving it to the judges.

Welisson Paiva (12-5-2) is a former Hexagone MMA champion who got off to a great start in KSW with victories over Dawid Smiełkowski and Maciej Kaziecko, however went on to lose his next two. The Brazilian is an exciting striker who adds a little pizazz to proceedings, often utilising flying and spinning attacks. The 24-year-old is an equal opportunity user of punches, kicks, knees and elbows, he’ll use anything to shed a little blood. This risk taker has nine knockout victories on his curriculum vitae. Igor Włodarczyk (2-0) is a multi-time IMMAF veteran for his country, and he’s already picked up two first-round wins in the promotion. The Pole usually advises opponents to bring a book as invariably he gets the back and locks in the rear naked choke, and from there it’s a bedtime story. Training out of Arrachion Olsztyn, it’s a great environment for these young prospects to build a career, producing the likes of Joanna Jędrzejczyk and Jakub Wikłacz, as well as being the home of Mamed Khalidov. The 23-year-old is a solid striker and that will only improve with time, which will compliment his BJJ skills well.

Szymon Bajor (26-13) usually makes the walk to the Polish classic Budka Suflera’s “For High Flyers Only”, and he’s a former FEN champion and KSW title challenger. The 38-year-old has been picking up wins since 2010, and he’s got an even 50/50 split between his twenty finishes. The Rzeszów man beat Ricardo Prasel via decision the last time he was in this arena, and he likes to use punches and elbows to bludgeon opponents on the feet. In submission situations, he’s always looking for your arms and if he grabs one, you’re usually tapping shortly after. Kacper Paczóski (4-0) makes his first appearance in a year, back then he defeated Denis “Flinston” Górniak in the second round. The Uniq Fight Club man has big, solid fists and they have only one intention, he’s coming to smash your face in. Whether that’s by a punch or some hammer fists, all his fights have ended the same way, with the ref pulling him off you. He’s never gone past the second round as an amateur or pro.

Andrzej Karkula (6-1) picked up his first KSW win in March via rear naked choke against Dominik Mazur and has won his last three bouts. The Pole’s only defeat as a pro was to Zakaria Hamou in 2024. The Nowy Targ man has been a “history repeats” kind of fighter, adding tap out after tap out to his résumé after each fight. The sun rises, the sun sets, Karkula takes the back and sinks in the rear naked. Death, taxes and tap outs. He has an amateur victory over the UFC’s Cezary Oleksiejczuk. Kamil Korzeniowski (6-6-1) steps in for an injured Sebastian Decowski on short notice. The MMA Krosno man has a bit of a sketchy record, however he always takes the toughest fights and losses are to the standard of the likes of main eventer Marcello Morelli and the PFL’s Jan Ciepłowski. The Pole excels in grappling exchanges and is good at taking the back for chokes, and he also likes to use leg locks. The last time he was subbed was 2018 and he’s generally durable on the feet.

Kristians Boguzs (4-0) is a protégé of Madars Fleminas and is one of the top prospects coming from the Baltics. The Latvian trains out of Grimsby in England nowadays and he was a Polish amateur champion in late 2024. The 22-year-old has been perfect as a pro, most recently getting his first knockout win in July, with punches doing the job in the first round. Grappling is his sharpest tool, with a knack for taking it down, using ground and pound to soften up his foes, and then either have the ref stop it or he locks in a rear naked choke. Kacper Chokewa (3-1) makes his promotional debut and he’s competed almost exclusively for Strife MMA to date. The Puławy man’s only pro defeat was to fellow prospect Igor Włodarczyk, and his crowning moment was a ground and pound win over former KSW champion Artur “Kornik” Sowiński last September. The Pole likes to operate on the feet, where he can show his power and secure the knockout. All his victories were stoppages due to strikes, and he’s just dangerous at the end as at the start of the fight.

KSW 122 is live from Rzeszów at 18:00 Dublin time this Saturday night and the PPV can be purchased at KSWTV.com. If you’re looking for a taste of what’s to come, the first two fights will air for free on Youtube, as well as the infamous KSW opening ceremony.