Polish heavyweight Artur Szpilka, known for his boxing career including a fight against Deontay Wilder, is making significant strides in mixed martial arts. With a professional boxing record of 24-5, Szpilka recently returned to the cage at KSW 105 held in his native Poland. This appearance marked a strong recovery from his previous MMA bout, which resulted in a swift 14-second TKO loss.
The KSW 105 event featured other prominent figures like Eddie Hall and five-time World`s Strongest Man Mariusz Pudzianowski, the latter being someone Szpilka has previously defeated in an MMA contest. While Pudzianowski is a notable opponent in his MMA journey, Szpilka is perhaps most widely recognized for his boxing match against then-WBC Heavyweight Champion Deontay Wilder in 2016, a fight where Szpilka lasted nine rounds before `The Bronze Bomber` secured the knockout.
Having transitioned to MMA nearly three years ago, Szpilka entered his fifth professional fight at KSW 105 against former kickboxing star Errol Zimmerman. Competing as a heavyweight, Szpilka improved his MMA record to 4-1 after a bout that concluded rapidly.
Early in the first round, the 252lb Szpilka faced adversity when Zimmerman landed a knockdown, forcing Szpilka to survive on the ground. Despite scoring the early knockdown and having a promising start, Zimmerman was unable to capitalize and finish the fight, allowing Szpilka to regain his composure and return to his feet.
The momentum shifted dramatically when Szpilka successfully secured a takedown against Zimmerman. From a dominant top position, just under two minutes into the opening round, Szpilka locked in an arm-triangle choke. Within moments of the submission hold being applied, Zimmerman was compelled to tap out.
Remarkably, after 29 boxing matches and now 5 MMA fights, this victory marked Artur Szpilka`s very first career win by submission. It was an understandably emotional moment for the 36-year-old fighting in front of his home crowd. Following the impressive finish, Szpilka openly challenged Arkadiusz Wrzosek, the fighter who had previously defeated him via that quick 14-second knockout at KSW 94 last May, signaling his desire for a rematch.
