5 Polish Fighters the UFC Should Sign Ahead of Poland Debut
by Chris Houten - @ChrisHoutenMMA
#thetimeisnow for Poland, with the UFC officially announcing their first show in the land of fields which takes place in April. A country of 38 million people, Poland has grown to be one of the powerhouses of European MMA thanks to local promotion KSW and its high-time that the world finest promotion visited this fine land.
With the arrival of the UFC in Poland here are five local fighters worthy of a place on UFC Fight Night Poland.
Marcin Tybura
Outside Mamed Khalidov, who would have been first choice on this list if not for injury which will see him out until December, there is no better choice for a place on the UFC roster than 29-year-old heavyweight Marcin Tybura. Arguable the best heavyweight in the world outside of the UFC and Bellator, Tybura has ran though everyone he has ever faced in style finishing 10 of his 12 opponents on his unblemished record. Ranked 13th in the world by Fightmatrix.com, Tybura has literally dominated the finest fighters Eastern Europe has to offer on route to winning and defending the M-1 heavyweight title against Damian Grabowski and Denis Smoldarev, fighters who could be in contention of a place in the UFC roster themselves.A black belt and European champion in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Tybura has great takedowns and has used his excellent positioning to set up submissions where six of his career wins have come. Tybura is on an absolute tear finishing his last seven opponents, five in the first round. A stumbling block could be the fact that Tybura is signed to M-1, a promotion who wont want to let their star attraction leave, however if the UFC could sign Tybura, he would be an excellent addition to the UFC roster not only for UFC Fight Night Poland but as a future title contender in years to come.
Mateusz Gamrot
Mateusz Gamrot should be familiar to British MMA fans as the polish prospect has broken the hearts of many a UK MMA fan picking up crushing wins over every Brit he has faced. Andre Winner, Jefferson George and Tim Newman have all fallen to this rising prospect as he has amassed an untouched 8-0 record.A strong and dynamic wrestler, Gamrot has excellent takedowns, and a smothering offensive style on the ground where he is equally gifted in striking and submissions. Mateusz Gamrot is a new breed of fighter, with a great all round skill-set and easily one of the best unsigned lightweights in all of Europe.
He is scheduled to fight at next months KSW 30 which might effect his chances of being signed by the UFC. He may also find he is over looked for this event due to the sheer number of lightweights currently signed to the UFC - a problem Scottish prospect Stevie Ray is currently experiencing, but with a solid record which includes wins over a UFC vet in Winner, Gamrot is definitely one of the best prospects coming out of Poland and if definitely worth Joe Silva taking a look at ahead of UFC Fight Night Poland.
Karol Bedorf
Another heavyweight prospect the UFC should be looking at is 31-year-old Karol Bedof. The current KSW heavyweight champion, Bedorf has put together a five fight unbeaten run which includes wins over former UFC fighters Rolles Gracie and Oli Thompson on route to earning the reputation as one of the best heavyweight in Europe.A diverse fighter who has five submission wins and three knockouts in his 11 fight career, Bedof brings a good standard of striking especially in the clinch, and is an excellent wrestler who can hit a takedown like a runaway train. At 31-years-old, Bedorf is relatively young for the UFC's heavyweight division and could certainly add a bit of fresh air to a division in desperate need for prospects. Similar to Tybura, Bedorf might be a difficult signing as KSW will no doubt fight to keep their heavyweight champion, however Bedorf has certainly shown he has talent worthy of the UFC pursuing.
Agnieszka Neidzwiedz
One of the best bantamweights in all of Europe, 19-year-old Agnieska Neidzwiedz has been in little trouble in her pro career on route to building an undefeated 7-0 record. A Cage Warriors vet, Neidzwiedz comes from a Judo background where she won a bronze medel in the European Cup Cadets. Neidzwiedz brings a solid offensive ground game and an underestimated striking game that has seen her defeat Gemma Hewitt and Kerry Hughes on route to cementing herself as the number one contender in the Cage Warriors bantamweight division.Neidzwiedz is expected to challenge Pannie Kianzad for the Cage Warriors bantamweight title, a fight she had to pull out of last November due to injury, sometime in 2015. The argument could be made, that at such a young age Neidzweidz is in no rush to sign with the UFC but with six finishes already in this exciting prospects career its only a matter of time before Neidzwiedz is offered a UFC contract.
Oskar Piechota
The least known fighter on this list, Oskar Piechota is a undefeated Polish Middleweight who comes personally recommended by Polish journalist Maciek Szumowski of MyMMA.pl. A world class grappler who has ADCC experience - see him in action at the 2013 world championships against Keenan Cornelius here, 25-year-old Piechota is one of the best up and coming fighters in Poland.A pro since 2011, Piechota has taken all of his 6 wins inside the distance, using his excellent BJJ to submit four of his opponents while his other two opponents have fallen victim to Piechota's hard hitting strikes.
One thing that could benefit Piechota should he be on the UFC's radar is the fact he hasn't fought on any of the major Eastern European shows like M1 and KSW which would certainly make him easier to sign than some of the others on this list.
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