Fighters Only : KSW 86: Jakub Wiklacz retains title after technical draw in Wroclaw

Simon Head

Sep 17, 2023

KSW bantamweight champion Jakub Wiklacz held on to his 135-pound title after his title fight with Sebastian Przybysz was halted in the final round at KSW 86.

Wiklacz headed into the main event bout in Wroclaw riding a four-fight win streak, including a split-decision win over Przybysz in his most recent outing at KSW 77 last December. Przybysz, meanwhile, bounced back from that loss with back-to-back third-round finishes as he defeated Filip Macek and Islam Djabrailov in May and July, respectively.

It set up the rematch at KSW 86, but the conclusion left a far-from-satisfactory outcome after Wiklacz rendered Przybysz unable to continue after connecting with a thumping kick to the challenger's head while Przybysz was still grounded.

As a result, the bout went to the judges, with all three scorecards reading 37-37 for a unanimous technical draw. It meant that, despite committing the fight-ending foul, Wiklacz retained his title and in all likelihood set up a future third fight between the pair.

Also on the card, Michal Michalski edged Dominik Humberger via unanimous decision to hand the Czech middleweight the first defeat of his career, while German featherweight Lom-Ali Esekiev claimed the 21st win of his career with a first-round TKO finish of previously undefeated Pole Dawid Smielowski.

KSW 86: Official results

MAIN CARD

Jakub Wiklacz vs. Sebastian Przybysz ruled a unanimous technical draw (37-37, 37-37, 37-37) – for bantamweight title
Michal Michalski def. Dominik Humburger via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
Lom Ali Eskiev def. Dawid Smielowski via TKO, Round 1, 4:21
Artur Szczepaniak def. Henry Fadipe via knockout, Round 2, 4:00
Wiktor Zalewski def. Kacper Koziorzebski via TKO, Round 2, 0:55
Damian Piwowarczyk def. Lukasz Sudolski via knockout, Round 1, 3:38
Viktor Pesta def. Filip Stawowy via submission (rear-naked choke), Round 1, 2:12

PRELIMINARY CARD