Inside the KSW Vault: Michal Materla
Take a dive into the series, Inside the KSW Vault. Many amazing fighters, including Michal Materla, have spent years perfecting their craft and showcasing their skills on the premier stage for European MMA, KSW. Follow along as we take a look at t...
Take a dive into the series, Inside the KSW Vault. Many amazing fighters, including Michal Materla, have spent years perfecting their craft and showcasing their skills on the premier stage for European MMA, KSW. Follow along as we take a look at the many fighters, and events, past and present, which have contributed to making KSW what it is today. Check out these previous installments of the series:
Looking Back at Michal Materla
Only one man can claim the title of most KSW appearances, and that man is middleweight legend Michal Materla. Making his organizational debut all the way back at KSW 6, Michal Materla would compete under the KSW banner 31 times until KSW 92 in March 2024.
The former champion would win the crown at KSW 19 and have four successful title defenses before running into MMA legend, Mamed Khalidov. Michal Materla can still be found competing with a modified Muay Thai bout set for April 11 at Oktagon 86.
Michal Materla’s Climb to Poland’s Brightest MMA Lights
The legendary career of future KSW hall of famer Michal Materla began back in October 2003 on the Polish regional scene. After compiling an 8-2 record in his first 10 professional bouts, Michal Materla would eventually find his way to KSW for the KSW 6 card, taking place in October 2006. Materla would compete three times in one night to win the KSW 6 tournament championship. From then on, Materla would become a staple in one of Europe’s future top mixed martial arts organization.
Michal Materla’s Early KSW Days
After winning three bouts in one day at KSW 6, Materla would drop a split decision at KSW 7 in June 2007 after earning a first round victory via second-round submission against Jan Antoska. From summer of 2007 until March 2011, Materla would just compete once, earning a 2009 victory at Pro Fight MMA 3.
2011 would be a great year for Michal Materla. He would compete three times, earning victories in all three matchups. Materla would open up his combat year of 2011 at KSW 15 in March with a submission victory over Gregory Babene. He would keep the consecutive KSW card appearance going appearing also on the KSW 16 and KSW 17 cards, earning victories in both. His impressive 2011 run would set up Materla for a championship opportunity the following year.
Championship Run
With the vacant middleweight championship up for grades at KSW 19 in May 2012, Michal Materla would face his toughest task up to that point of his career in Jay Silva. Earning the majority decision, Materla would capture the KSW championship for the only time in his career.
Now the champion and coming off of a Fight of the Night winning performance, Materla would defend his crown for the first time at KSW 21. The night would end very quickly, securing a 21-second knockout victory over the challenger, Rodney Wallace.
Returning to action the following June 2013, Materla would continue to show his dominance in the division, securing a unanimous decision over the UFC’s TUF3 winner, Kendall Grove.
The Odd Rematch and Rubber Match
Materla would end up meeting Silva again, but no championship was on the line. Silva stated post-fight that he was not concerned to fight for the title and simply wanted to just get the win over Materla. In this rematch, Materla would suffer his first loss in over seven years, taking the loss via second-round TKO. This rematch, of course, would set up a rubber match for the championship, which would take place at KSW 26 in March 2014.
Materla would show up for the occasion, successfully defending his title for the third time, defeating his nemesis Silva via unanimous decision. The win would secure Materla his fourth performance of the night in five bouts. After his next title defense at KSW 31, Materla would run into another legend of the organization, Mamed Khalidov, at KSW 33.
Run-In with a Legend and Rest of KSW Career
Materla’s last appearance with championship gold would come in his fifth official title defense in which he would face Khalidov at KSW 33 in November 2015. After a 31-second knockout defeat, Materla would rebound nicely from the loss, winning five of his next six bouts.
After the Khalidov loss, Materla would compete under the KSW banner another staggering 16 times earning a record of 10-6 on the run. Though he would never return to championship status, he did face champion Pawel Pawlak at KSW 89, losing via unanimous decision in December 2023.
Materla has shown over his 31-fight KSW career that he is an icon of the organization and a fighter to praise. Going from the one-night tournaments, all the way to current-day, Materla has competed against the very best middleweights KSW could throw at him.
