David Zawada Ready to Showcase in 2021
KSW veteran David Zawada will finally be able to make a return to action in the UFC’s first event of 2021, set for January 16, 2021, for the UFC Fight Night: Holloway vs Kattar card. After a huge submission victory over Abubakar Nurmagomedov in November 2019, COVID put a stop to any plans for UFD Gym’s Zawada to compete in 2020 with two scheduled bouts falling apart. This could be a massive year for the Zawada brothers. David’s brother, Martin, is set to main event KSW 58 two weeks after David’s bout in the UFC.
Route to the UFC
After turning pro in 2010, Zawada had his first taste of the bright lights in the form of KSW in December 2014 at KSW 29. Prior to joining the UFC in July 2018, Zawada would go on to compete under the KSW banner a total of five times. The last three bouts were victories with two being finishes. Fighting under bright lights like KSW helped Zawada prepare for the UFC stage. “It[KSW] is huge you know. They make a good show and are very well organized. It makes it fun to compete there,” Zawada told MyMMANews. “Of course, they also have good fighters and to make the first steps into a big event like this helps a lot. But I think to compete with the best fighters in the world you have to fight in the UFC. That’s my opinion,” stated Zawada.
UFD Gym and the COVID 2020 Year
UFD (University of Fighting Dusseldorf) Gym is home to the Zawada brothers as well as some of Europe’s best talents. KSW champions Roberto Soldic and Antun Racic as well as KSW heavyweight Erko Jun fight out of the same gym. “A lot of fighters had struggles with this year. But yes, in the last three months, three of my teammates had fought, Unfortunately my opponent got sick, but I stayed in shape, trained with my team UFD gym, and getting prepared for our battles,” said Zawada.
The Zawada Brother Takeover
Zawada is set to make his 2021 debut at UFC Fight Night: Holloway vs Kattar. The event is set for Saturday, January 16, 2021, on Fight Island. His opponent for the date is currently the M-1 Challenge and UFC veteran, Ramazan Emeev. Zawada’s brother Martin will make his 46th professional appearance. He’s set for the main event of KSW 58, which is set two weeks after Zawada’s bout. Martin will face Olympic gold medal weightlifter Szymon Kolecki. “We always train together but my brother is also working so we don’t see each other everyday in training. We stay in contact and if I need him or he needs me, we always fix a plan on how to get it done and be well prepared for our fights,” stated Zawada.
