Krzysztof Soszynski

Krzysztof Soszyński (Polish pronunciation: [ˈkʂɨʂtɔf sɔˈʂɨɲskʲi]; born August 2, 1977) is a retired Polish-Canadian mixed martial artist who last competed in the Light Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. An 11-year competitor from 2003 until 2014, Soszynski also formerly competed for Strikeforce, the Los Angeles Anacondas of the IFL, and was a contestant on The Ultimate Fighter: Team Nogueira vs. Team Mir.

Background

Soszynski was born and raised in Stalowa Wola, Poland until the age of 10 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 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.^[1]

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 cast-mate 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 Andre 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.^[2] 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.^[3] 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.^[4]

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.^[5]

Soszynski faced Goran Reljic on November 13, 2010 at UFC 122.^[6] He won the fight via unanimous decision.

Soszynski was scheduled to face Anthony Perosh on June 11, 2011 at UFC 131.^[7] However, Perosh was forced from the bout with an injury and replaced by Igor Pokrajac.^[8] Pokrajac was also injured and replaced by returning UFC veteran Mike Massenzio.^[9] He defeated Massenzio via unanimous decision.

Soszynski/Pokrajac took place on December 10, 2011 at UFC 140.^[10] 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.^[11] 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.^[12]

On August 15, 2014 Krzysztof announced his retirement from MMA competition on Inside MMA, citing memory problems that began occurring after his last fight.^[13]

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".^[14]

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.^[15] He then landed a major role in the movie Tapped Out (2014).^[16]

Personal life

Soszynski is married and has a son from a previous relationship.^[17]

Championships and achievements

• Ultimate Fighting Championship
  • Submission of the Night (Two times) vs. Shane Primm, Brian Stann
  • Fight of the Night (One time) vs. Stephan Bonnar

Mixed martial arts record

References

External links

• Official UFC Profile
• Professional MMA record for Krzysztof Soszynski from Sherdog