KSW Federation has informed MMA Spot that KSW owners Maciej Kawulski and Martin Lewandowski recently met with Russian MMA fighter and Pride Fighting Championships veteran, Aleksander Emelianenko, at the Hyatt hotel, in Warsaw, Poland. Under discussion was Emelianenko’s participation in upcoming KSW events. According their report, the meeting was both substantive and amenable to the parties involved, as a verbal agreement was reached.

The special invitation extended to Emelianenko from the Polish MMA promotion was considered a success, with all participants content with the results. “We have a verbal agreement in place with Aleksander and we can reveal that Polish MMA fans will be soon able to see this formidable fighter in the KSW ring,” Lewandowski and Kawulski announced.

The first fight for Fedor Emelianenko’s younger brother has not been officially determined, though it is likely to be against polish strongman Mariusz Pudzianowski. Earlier this week, KSW revealed that an opponent for Pudzianowski would be confirmed at a press conference for the upcoming KSW 14 event. Among the candidates being considered are Eric "Butterbean" Esch and Aleksander Emelianenko, according to the organization.

The press conference is set for Tuesday, Aug. 3 at 12 p.m. CEST, and will be broadcast via the KSW Federation website (www.konfrontacja.com).

Pudzianowski (2-1), a relative newcomer to the fight game, is a former five-time World’s Strongest Man. He last fought at “Moosin: God of Martial Arts” on May 21, in Worcester, Mass. losing a lopsided bout where he verbally submitted to the strikes of former UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia in the second round.

Esch (12-7-1), the face of the Moosin organization, was highly critical of Pudzianowski—giving some credence to the possibility of an upcoming match between the two.

“I know he allegedly broke his foot in the fight against Sylvia,” Butterbean commented, “but he didn’t show anything before he quit. Pudzianowski has no stand-up and as strong as he is, he punches like a girl. All he does is throw arm punches. He needs a lot of help. He’s the 5-time World’s Strongest Man but hits like a 130-pounder, not a strong man who weighs 270 pounds. He doesn’t have the skill level to get to the level he wants to fight.

“Once he gets a stand-up game—you can’t have a ground game working without one—he could be a force in MMA. He still needs some work on his ground game, too. We all know he’s very strong but that’s not enough at the highest level of MMA. I don’t know who has been coaching him but that trainer should be fired. Pudzianowski needs to prove himself, showing he has a good stand-up game by beating a good MMA fighter, before he gets another big fight like a spot on the October ninth show.”

KSW founders, Lewandowski and Kawulski for their part, took exception, and looked to put the two fighters together in the ring.

"I don't understand the reasoning behind Mr Esch's statements. One would think it's just a publicity stunt. However, if ‘Butterbean’ is really interested in this bout, we can seriously consider it. But in order to that, we need more precise declarations from Mr Esch," Lewandowski suggested.

Kawulski echoed the sentiment, "’Butterbean’ is an MMA superstar in the USA...this fight could end up being an unforgettable show for all KSW fans. Once both sides express their interest in the fight, KSW Federation will try to book this bout."

With Emelianenko (17-3) entering the picture, another exciting, and significantly marketable, match-up presents itself. The Russian fighter last competed at “APF: Azerbaijan vs. Europe” this May in Baku, Azerbaijan, where he defeated Miodrag Petkovic via technical knockout in round one. The victory was Emelianenko’s eighth consecutive; his last loss came courtesy of Fabricio Werdum, by submission, in November of 2006.

KSW is scheduled for Sept. 18 with the venue still to be determined. Three “Super Fights” and the finals of the light heavyweight tournament have been announced thus far.

  • Light Heavyweight Tournament Final: Daniel Tabera vs. Jan Błachowicz
  • Superfight: Krzysztof Kułak vs. Daniel Dowda
  • Superfight: Przemysław Saleta vs. Marcin Najman
  • Superfight: Mariusz Pudzianowski vs. TBA