Introduction
Saturday, March 23rd, Polish light heavyweight prospect Tomasz Narkun will be in action in his home country, where he will be looking to continue his impressive winning streak against KSW Heavyweight Champion Phil de Fries. He will be looking to score yet another win, as Narkun looks to become a two-division champion. Narkun represents Berserker’s Team, an underrated camp out of Poland. Let’s take a closer look at this prospect as this week’s “Prospect Spotlight.”
Strengths
Submission Grappling: A black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Narkun’s ground game is very strong and extremely dangerous for any man who tries to engage with him there. Of his 18 career wins, 12 have come by way of submission. Training partner Gegard Mousasi has said Narkun is “tactically and technically…very high level.” It’s true. He’s not only a savage on top, but he’s very dangerous off his back. His favorite technique is the triangle choke, something he can achieve from top or bottom, but is a top weapon in fighting off your back. He’s got incredible grip strength, so when he gets a hold of you neck, the clock is ticking until you black out.
Killer Instinct: Narkun doesn’t tend to go to decision often because once he smells blood, he goes for the kill. 10 of his 12 finishes have come in the first round, showing that he’s a quick starter that goes for the kill shot early and often. It shouldn’t be implied that Narkun can’t stop fights with his strikes, either. The dude has power in his punches and can finish you with his knockout power. Narkun is dangerous because he’s not a point fighter; he’s a headhunter.
Needs Improvement
Size: Forget the fact that Narkun is stepping up to heavyweight here; Narkun, a normal light heavyweight, usually weighs in under the 205-pound limit of his weight class. He’s a tall fighter at 6’3″, but he’s slender and not very girthy. He’s likely a more natural middleweight, but perhaps he doesn’t like the weight cut and finds more energy at 205 pounds. There are a lot of light heavyweights that cut a good amount of weight to get to 205, so that size difference could catch up to Narkun down the road.
Outlook
UFC Title Contender (if he wants to): If Tomasz Narkun ever decides to leave KSW for the UFC, he will be a UFC title contender. I have no doubt about this. He is a high-level fighter and very well-rounded. Right now, he’d beat most guys on the roster. He’s also still getting better, which is vital going forward. He’s only 29 years old, so his best days are likely ahead of him. Sure, he’d be a little undersized as a UFC light heavyweight, but his skills more than make up for that. He’d be top-10 within 2-3 fights with the company.
MMA Intel 