Can Darko Stosic Dethrone Phil De Fries At KSW 67?
With about a month to go until KSW 67 on February 26, 2022, the KSW heavyweight championship will be on the line for the first time since KSW 60 in April 2021 when champion Phil De Fries defeated the former light heavyweight champion, Tomasz Narkun, in a “champion vs champion” matchup. Undefeated since joining KSW in April 2018 (6-0), is there really any heavyweight KSW can bring in who can derail the champion? Darko Stosic will have his chance at KSW 67 next month to answer that question.
The Challenger
A perfect 3-0 since joining KSW, Stosic himself also has a background in the UFC, just recently departing the organization. Though his losing streak drove him out of the UFC, Stosic did impress in his Octagon debut in July 2018 securing the first-round TKO stoppage. A big striker, 10 of Stosic’s career 16 wins have come by KO/TKO. 2021 was Stosic’s year in KSW winning all three of his bouts in that calendar year. After coming off of a title fight defeat to De Fries, Michal Kita met Stosic at KSW 61 suffering a first-round knockout at the hands of the emerging star in Stosic. If Stosic wants to walk out of the KSW cage with the championship, he needs to end the fight early. Going into deep waters with De Fries will not go well for the Serbian striker.
The Champion
Since his “day one” in KSW, De Fries has been the KSW heavyweight champion. Debuting for the organization at KSW 43 in April 2018, De Fries met Michal Andryszak. It only took 3:32 into the first round for De Fries to earn the championship via first-round submission. With five title defenses in KSW, three of those five have come by the finish. Two of those wins came against Narkun, the light heavyweight champion at the time and considered by many one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in Poland.
Similar to Stosic, De Fries also had a less than stellar run in the UFC. With 20 professional wins, De Fries has finished 12 by submission as well as an additional four by decision, a couple of those victories in the Octagon. De Fries also has a first-round submission victory over former Strikeforce title contender Brett Rogers. Finishing his last two opponents in the KSW cage, finishing Stosic would solidify De Fries as the greatest heavyweight to grace the KSW ring.
KSW 67 will take place Saturday, February 26, 2022, in Warsaw, Poland with De Fries and Stosic set as the night’s main event. Currently, Andrzej Grzebk is set to face Adrian Bartosinski in a welterweight clash. Prior to his loss at KSW 56 in November 2020, Grzebk has not suffered a defeat since November 2015. Undefeated rising Polish star Dawid Smielowski makes his KSW debut as he faces Krzysztof Klaczek in the featherweight division. KSW events can be seen in the United States at KSWtv.
