Bartosz Lesko: “I Try to be the Best Version of Myself in Every Fight”
Poland is a hotbed of MMA talent in Europe. With organizations such as KSW and FEN, among others, several of the country’s top talents have begun to migrate to the UFC. Venturing further east to the land of Russia, one of those Polish talents is on a mission to win the ACA gold. Polish submission artist Bartosz Lesko has yet to fight on foreign territory, but that time is coming soon. Lesko is coming off of a unanimous decision victory at ACA 114 in November 2020, which took place in Poland.
Finding Combat Sports and Early MMA Days
“I started with Karate when I was 6 years old and I have a black belt. I have also two silver medals at the Karate World Championship. But when I was 16 years old, I realized that MMA is what I really wanted to do. At the age of 18, I had my pro debut. I really believe in the philosophy of karate or other traditional martial arts. It shaped me as a human and fighter and taught me a lot, especially in my mind,” Lesko told MyMMANews.
Lesko began his professional MMA journey in January 2015 where he competed at Time of Masters 1. Securing the submission victory in his pro debut, Lekso continued putting on a true mixed martial arts display through the end of 2016, going 4-0-1 with four finishes. 2017 saw Lesko make his debut with one of Poland’s premier MMA organizations, Fight Exclusive Night, where he won his organizational debut with a second-round submission. Lesko remained with FEN through 2019 where he earned an impressive 5-1-1 overall record inside FEN.
Training and Growing as a Fighter
Lesko has trained with several of Poland’s best coaches and training partners at Mad Dogs Gdynia, located in Gdynia, Poland, for much of his career. FEN alum, Bartosz “Hulk” Chyrek, winner of several worlds and European championships, is the owner and founder of the team’s three locations. As with many fighters, Lesko has realized it takes a full team of dedicated coaches and training partners to make a fighter successful. “I can’t choose one or two coaches or teammates. Every single person I trained with was an opportunity to learn something. I have met a lot of people on my martial arts journey who helped me to develop as a fighter, who inspired and taught a lot, and I think it is the beauty of this sport,” stated Lesko.
Joining One of The World’s Premier Organizations and the Bright Future
In November 2020, Lesko made his promotional debut with one of Europe’s largest organizations, Absolute Championship Akhmat (ACA.) It was a solid debut on a huge stage, defeating a veteran in Rene Pessoa by unanimous decision at ACA 114. Though he has made his debut with the Russian-based organization, that bout took place in Poland. Lesko is excited about the prospect of being the “foreign invader” in search of a championship in his enemy’s own backyard. So what are Lesko’s future goals with ACA and where does he see his path going from here?
“I think that moment never comes. You can accomplish everything. Always, there are even little things you can do better. Also, I try to focus only on my next fight and don’t think too much about the future. I try to be the best version of myself in every fight. For now, my big dream is to become an ACA champion. I will do everything to achieve this goal,” said Lesko.
