It’s always refreshing talking to a fighter who knows exactly what he wants and Piotr Strus is a man with a plan.

A big win at ACB 53

Strus (10-3-2) is coming off the back of a big win against Russian fighter Michail Tsarev at ACB 53 ten days ago after being given just over a week to prepare. Suffice to say. Strus is glad to have finally built up some momentum having taken some time away from active competition to hone his skills.

“I took this fight on a short notice, it was actually only 8 days before that I knew I would be fighting,” Strus told FloCombat exclusively. “I didn’t have much time to prepare for Tsarev’s style, but I stay in shape all the time so I was well prepared in general. 

“I knew I wanted to fight early this year, I just didn’t know where or when.  Before this fight, I had two years off and I think It was a good decision, because I could train without any stress nor any pressure. I feel like I gained a lot during that time off and it showed in my last fight. 

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“I’m not happy with two knockdowns during the first round, however, I am thankful to Michail. He showed me what I have to work on. I have learned my lesson and hopefully I will not make the same mistake again. During the second-round, I dominated Michail on the ground and it was just few seconds away from the referee stoppage. Finally, my opponent didn’t want to continue. He was badly hurt and tired. So I won, and I’m very happy to be back in the cage. I feel perfect and it’s just a beginning.”

Eyeing up KSW 39: Colosseum

With that victory in the bag, Strus has now focused his sights on his next challenge. Having enjoyed his experience with ACB earlier this month, Strus is considering signing a deal with them. Before he does that though, Strus is also eyeing up a place on the KSW 39: Colosseum card which is set to be a historic event at the National Stadium in Warsaw, Poland. 

“I was just a late replacement fighter in my last fight so it was just a one-fight deal with ACB federation,” Strus said. “My agent is currently negotiating with several federations. We have already received a three-fight offer from ACB and we take it very seriously. ACB treated us very well, so we really enjoyed working with them. 




“However, in May one of the biggest MMA events in the world will take place. I am talking about KSW 39 at the National Football Stadium in Warsaw. Over 55 000 people in the audience. It’s going to be an amazing show. The fight card is filled with stars like Mamed Khalidov, Borys Mankowski, Marcin Rozalski, Mariusz Pudzianowski and more—it’s going to be huge.”

Damian Janikowski is the perfect opponent 

It’s not just a particular fight card Strus has his eyes on. The Polish fighter already has an opponent in mind and it’s a decorated Polish Olympian who he would like to welcome to the cage.

“I wold love to fight there because Warsaw is my hometown. Among the main stars of the event is Damian Janikowski who is a 2012 Olympic medallist in wrestling. He is one of the biggest up and coming fighters in polish MMA and he has been preparing for this fight for a long time. 

“Everyone says he has a huge talent, he is well-rounded and he will become a star. I would like to welcome him in the cage and allow him the chance to verify it all. Polish media has suggested that I would be a perfect matchup for Damian’s debut in KSW. Damian himself has told in several interviews that he feels ready for me. 

“He has also mentioned that he doesn’t want to fight bums or guys with just one or two wins. I’ve started to heat up the atmosphere a little bit on my Twitter account [@strusp]. I feel I could give a good show facing Damian. Actually, I’m ready to fight this man tonight.”

Janikowski has disappeared though!?

While Strus has been actively campaigning for the fight, his desired opponent Janikowski hasn’t been getting involved with his hype building. Ever since the challenge was made and everything became a little more real, the former Olympic medal winner has disappeared from social media and stopped calling for the fight in his interviews. Strus gave some insight as to why he things this has happened.

“I think that Damian and his team know how big the event on the National Stadium is going to be,” Strus said. “Obviously, they don’t want to lose. Damian keeps saying that he wants a big name for his KSW debut, but his coaches want him to cool down a little – at least that’s what he says. 

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“This is contradiction to me. Is he ready for a real test or not? Maybe he is just a big mouth. Maybe he thought this fight wouldn’t be possible with me taking some time off and now when this match-up could actually happen he is scared. Since, I have become active on Twitter he hasn’t responded. Damian is somehow gone.”

KSW sitting on the fence

With the challenge made, Strus has received a little feedback from KSW about the fight. While the promotion has not jumped at the chance to put the fight together, they still have never said it will never happen. Whilst this is the case, Strus has promised not to give up pursuing it.

“My agent keeps an eye on everything and I can only say that yes, we are talking,” Strus confirmed. “One of the KSW owners - Maciej Kawulski - responded to me on Twitter the other day. He says that this could be an interesting matchup, but he also suggests that the ball is on the Damian’s side.

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“I truly think it would be a fight the fans would enjoy. I see the fight with Damian as a great fight between a striker and a grappler. My background style is kickboxing, and Damian’s background is wrestling. Isn’t it a that perfect match-up? I think it would be a classic confrontation.”

The future is bright

With the challenge now made, Strus must wait to see if the bout gets the go ahead for the history making card. While that remains his short-term goal, Strus hasn’t lost sight of his overall ambitions in the sport and says that he one day wants to compete for the KSW title.

 “If I sign with KSW, it’s obvious that my goal would be the belt,” Strus said. “I feel I can compete with every KSW middleweight fighter, so the matchmakers can choose a direction for me. I never back down or run away from a fight so I will take on anyone they put in front of me. It has always been like that.

“I feel great now, I’m focused and I work really hard every day. The sky is the limit.”