Karolina Kowalkiewicz
Jan Blachowicz
Francis Carmont
Belly monster
Mateusz Gamrot
Jakub Wiklacz
After a very impressive show during UFC Fight Night: Bautista vs. Oliveira, where Jakub Wiklacz earned a submission with one second on the clock, Jakub Wiklacz is currently 2-0 in the UFC and showing solid skills. However, prior to his time in the UFC, Wiklacz was KSW’s bantamweight champion with several title defenses. After his stunning victory, Wiklacz now has a career record of 18-3-2.
Jakub Wiklacz’s Early Career Climb to KSW
Jakub Wiklacz’s professional career would begin in June 2014 with a first-round armbar at Fighters Arena 9 in Poland. In December 2017, Jakub Wiklacz would amass a record of 4-1-1 en route to his first major organizational debut, appearing on the ACA (then ACB) stage at ACB 53. Although he would suffer a loss, Wiklacz would return to ACB and earn a decision victory over future KSW bantamweight champion, Sebastian Przybysz. Over the next nearly three years, Wiklacz would climb to a 10-2-1 record before facing a familiar foe in his KSW debut.
Jakub Wiklacz: Entering KSW
Meeting for the second time in an epic five-fight series, Przybysz would get the best of Wiklacz in the latter’s KSW debut at KSW 53 in July 2020. Jakub Wiklacz would take the loss in his organizational debut and win his next three in a row before a scheduled third fight with Przybysz. In those three wins, Wiklacz defeated title challenger Bruno Santos and former champion Antun Racic.
Jakub Wiklacz’s body of work in the matchups since losing to Przybysz would earn him a title match against his biggest foe at KSW 77 in December 2022.
Tasting KSW gold
In what would go down as one of the promotion’s closest title fights, Wiklacz would defeat Przybysz in the rubber match by split decision in the evening’s co-main event behind that of main event legend Mamed Khalidov. As if it couldn’t get any closer than a split decision, the two would bring matchup three closest, with a draw.
The fourth match between Wiklacz and Przybysz would take place at KSW 86, where the two would meet in the main event of the evening. In a wild twist, Wiklacz and Przybysz would end their matchup in a technical draw. While Przybysz was trailing in the fifth round, Wiklacz executed an illegal kick to an opponent who was sitting on the ground. Unable to continue, the judges decided the match through the four rounds of completed action.
Title defense number two would take place at KSW 92, again in the main event, and Wiklacz would earn a fight of the night award by defending his crown against a very dangerous Zuriko Jojua. Although Jakub Wiklacz would put in a strong performance, everyone’s thoughts were on a fifth match between the champion and Przybysz. Everyone’s wishes would come true at KSW 95 in yet another main event.
In his third title defense and farewell KSW fight, Jakub Wiklacz would end the rivalry once and for all. In the second round, Wiklacz would catch Przybysz in a guillotine choke to defend his crown and move to an impressive career 15-3-2. Later in the following year of 2025, fans would see “Masa” make his debut under the biggest lights in all of MMA, the UFC.
Solid start to UFC run
Although Jakub Wiklacz would be making his UFC debut against a fellow newcomer to the organization, this was no ordinary newcomer. His opponent, Patchy Mix, was once one of Bellator’s most touted signees. Despite his opponent’s hype going into the match, Wiklacz would pull off the surprising split-decision win. Wiklacz would outscore Mix 107-75 overall (46-37 significant strikes) and land three official submission attempts compared to Mix’s zero attempts.
Looking to build on the momentum of the Mix win, Jakub Wiklacz would return to the Octagon four months later in February 2026 and earn a literal victory in the last second above Moein Gafurov. With one second left, Gafurov tapped a rigged guillotine choke. The timing of the tap was so close to the bell that the video had to be reviewed to see if the tap actually beat the clock.
In keeping with the theme of this series, Wiklacz continues to showcase the amazing talent on the surface and deep hidden within the ranks of the KSW organization. Stay tuned for the next installment of the series where we continued to look at those buried gyms from the KSW days.
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