Krzysztof_Soszynski

Krzysztof Soszynski

Krzysztof Soszynski

Polish mixed martial arts fighter

Krzysztof Soszyński (Polish pronunciation: [ˈkʂɨʂtɔf sɔˈʂɨɲskʲi]; born August 2, 1977) is a Polish‐Canadian actor and retired mixed martial artist. An 11-year competitor from 2003 until 2014, Soszynski fought in the UFC, Strikeforce, the Los Angeles Anacondas of the IFL. Also, he was a contestant on The Ultimate Fighter: Team Nogueira vs. Team Mir.

Quick Facts Born, Other names ...

Background

Soszynski was born in Stalowa Wola, Poland, where he was raised until the age of ten, when his family moved to Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Soszynski played football and soccer for Maples Collegiate, but later turned to weight training at the age of 16 before transitioning into bodybuilding and later professional wrestling. During his career in professional wrestling, which he began at the age of 21 and ended at the age of 25, Soszynski learned various judo techniques as well as submissions from fellow professional wrestler Bad News Brown, a bronze medalist in Judo at the 1976 Olympic games. After this, Soszynski began to pursue a career in mixed martial arts and also trained in Brazilian jiu-jitsu under black belt and gym owner, Rodrigo Munduruca, in Winnipeg. Soszynski also worked as a houseman at the Fairmont Winnipeg Hotel and as a promoter of local MMA events in Manitoba.[3]

Mixed martial arts career

The Ultimate Fighter

Soszynski entered The Ultimate Fighter, where he defeated Mike Stewart and Kyle Kingsbury on the way to the semifinals, where he lost to Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialist Vinny Magalhaes.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Soszynski made his debut against former Ultimate Fighter castmate Shane Primm, whom he defeated by submission due to a kimura. It was awarded Submission of the Night.

His second fight was at UFC 97 where Soszynski again utilized the kimura to win his second consecutive Submission of the Night award by forcing former WEC Light heavyweight Champion Brian Stann to tap to the hold.

Soszynski next stepped in as a late replacement for Houston Alexander at UFC 98, knocking out André Gusmão at 3:17 in the first round.

Soszynski then stepped in as a replacement for an injured Matt Hamill to fight Brandon Vera at UFC 102 in Portland, Oregon.[4] Soszynski lost via unanimous decision, bringing his UFC record down to 3–1.

Soszynski next faced Stephan Bonnar on February 21, 2010, at UFC 110.[5] Soszynski was victorious via third-round TKO due to a cut, though the victory was shadowed by an accidental headbutt that caused the cut, creating controversy over the victory. The New South Wales Sports Combat Authority overlooked the fight which could have resulted in the decision being overturned, depending on the judges' scorecards after round two. However, they ruled against overturning the decision. Both fighters stated that there was the need for a rematch.[6]

Their wish was later granted as the two had their rematch at UFC 116. In a close stand up battle, Soszynski got caught by a knee from Bonnar in the second round and lost via TKO after taking several unanswered punches. The fight was awarded Fight of the Night alongside the Leben/Akiyama fight, giving all the fighters an extra $75,000 to their pay.[7]

Soszynski faced Goran Reljic on November 13, 2010, at UFC 122.[8] He won the fight via unanimous decision.

Soszynski was scheduled to face Anthony Perosh on June 11, 2011, at UFC 131.[9] However, Perosh was forced from the bout with an injury and replaced by Igor Pokrajac.[10] Pokrajac was also injured and replaced by returning UFC veteran Mike Massenzio.[11] He defeated Massenzio via unanimous decision (30–27, 30–26, and 30–27).

Soszynski/Pokrajac took place on December 10, 2011, at UFC 140.[12] Soszynski was staggered early on with a straight right from Pokrajac, who followed him to the ground where he landed several shots that finished Soszynski off, resulting in a KO loss. Soszynski was unresponsive for a few minutes after the fight. In a video blog by Dana White, president of the UFC, leading up to UFC 141, there was footage of Soszynski following his loss to Pokrajac and was seen claiming that he is retiring from MMA.[13] Later, he claimed he has no memory of what occurred in the video and says his future in MMA fighting will be dependent upon what his doctors say.[14]

On August 15, 2014, Krzysztof announced his retirement from MMA competition on Inside MMA, citing memory problems that began occurring after his last fight.[15]

Film career

Aside from his appearance on The Ultimate Fighter TV show, Soszynski had a small uncredited role in an episode of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation entitled "S.F.C. - Cage Fighter".[16]

Soszynski made an appearance in the movie Here Comes the Boom as a top MMA fighter in the UFC by the name of Ken "The Executioner" Dietrich.[17] He then landed a major role in the movie Tapped Out (2014).[18] He starred as Alpha in the 2016 Daylight's End. Soszynski had a role in the 2017 movie Logan.

Personal life

Soszynski is married and has a son from a previous relationship.[19]

Soszynski initially worked as a coach at UFC Gym Torrance, and is currently the Director of MMA and Fitness for UFC Gym Middle East.[20][21]

Soszynski has also been acting as a color commentator of Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki as of 2020.[22]

Championships and achievements

Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown
39 matches 26 wins 12 losses
By knockout 11 6
By submission 10 1
By decision 3 5
By disqualification 2 0
Draws 1
More information Res., Record ...

References

  1. [1]
    David St. Martin (February 14, 2011). "Dan Henderson And Matt Lindland Reportedly In Ownership Dispute Over Team Quest Rights". SB Nation.
  2. [2]
    John Morgan (December 5, 2008). "Ten "TUF" Questions: Krzysztof Soszynski and Eliot Marshall". MMAjunkie.com.
  3. [3]
    IFL Profile Archived 2007-05-14 at archive.today
  4. [4]
    "Matt Hamill out 3-4 weeks, Krzysztof Soszynski vs. Brandon Vera at UFC 102 (Updated)". Archived from the original on 2009-07-23.
  5. [5]
    "Stephan Bonnar vs. Krzysztof Soszynski expected for UFC 110". fiveknuckles.com. Archived from the original on 2009-11-09. Retrieved 2009-11-07.
  6. [6]
    Chris Postupalski. "UFC 110 Notebook: Aussie Closes on Title Contention".
  7. [7]
    "UFC 116 fighter bonuses: Six fighters each earn $75,000 awards". Archived from the original on 2013-04-03. Retrieved 2010-07-04.
  8. [8]
    "Krzysztof Soszynski vs. Goran Reljic targeted for UFC 122 in Germany". mmajunkie.com.com. Archived from the original on 2010-08-19. Retrieved 2010-08-17.
  9. [9]
    "Krzysztof Soszynski vs. Anthony Perosh targeted for UFC 131 in Vancouver". mmajunkie.com. March 11, 2011. Archived from the original on March 14, 2011.
  10. [10]
    "Anthony Perosh out, Igor Pokrajac in against Krzysztof Soszynski at UFC 131". mmajunkie.com. 2011-05-11. Archived from the original on 2011-05-14.
  11. [11]
    "Pokrajac off Saturday's UFC 131; Massenzio in Against 'K-Sos'". sherdog.com. 2011-06-06.
  12. [12]
    "Igor Pokrajac vs. Krzysztof Soszynski slated for UFC 140 in Toronto". mmajunkie.com. 2011-09-22. Archived from the original on 2011-09-24.
  13. [13]
    Dana Becker (December 27, 2011). "Krzysztof Soszynski Retires From MMA". fightline.com.
  14. [14]
    Al-Shatti, Shaun (December 28, 2011). "Krzysztof Soszynski Explains Retirement Comments". SB Nation/MMA Nation. Retrieved January 29, 2012.
  15. [15]
    "Krzysztof Soszynski Announces Retirement on "Inside MMA"". AXS TV Fights. August 15, 2014. Archived from the original on 2021-12-15. Retrieved August 16, 2014.
  16. [16]
    FightersOnlyMag.com Staff. "Krzys and Sokoudjou appearing on CSI: Las Vegas". fightersonlymag.com. Archived from the original on December 8, 2015. Retrieved June 29, 2014.
  17. [17]
    Andy Samuelson (October 2, 2012). "Kevin James on filming 'Here Comes the Boom': 'I definitely got my fair share of getting punched in the face'". mmafighting.com. Retrieved June 29, 2014.
  18. [18]
    Sarah Kurchak. "International MMA Film 'Tapped Out' Enters the American Market". fightland.vice.com. Retrieved June 29, 2014.
  19. [19]
    "Krzysztof Soszynski". SPIKE.com. 2008-11-22. Archived from the original on 2010-04-09. Retrieved 2008-11-22.
  20. [20]
    "Seven Rounds With Krzysztof Soszynski". ufcgym.com.
  21. [21]
    Jeremy Brand (January 16, 2013). "Krzysztof Soszynski begins new journey as coach at Torrence's UFC Gym". mmasucka.com.
  22. [22]
    Farah Hannoun (January 29, 2021). "Ex-UFC fighter Krzysztof Soszynski hoped to retire with KSW, happy to be commentating instead". MMAjunkie.com.
  23. [23]
    "UFC 97 bonuses: Rua, Soszynski, Stout and Wiman each earn $70K awards". MMAjunkie.com. April 19, 2009.
  24. [24]
    Jesse Holland (December 14, 2008). "The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 8 Finale bonuses andawards". mmamania.com.
  25. [25]
    "UFC 116 fighters salaries: Brock Lesnar leads $923K payroll". MMAjunkie.com. July 6, 2010.
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