# Michał Materla

Michał Materla (born April 10, 1984) is a Polish mixed martial artist. He currently competes for the Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki (KSW), where he is former KSW Middleweight Champion. As of 2023, He is currently ranked #6 in KSW Middleweight rankings.

## Background

Materla has been passionate about sports from a young age, starting with swimming for seven years and becoming the Polish Junior Champion. At the age of 14, he transitioned into triathlon training, where he enjoyed challenging workouts and excelled in swimming as a part of their cardio routine. Materla have fond memories of competing in regional triathlon competitions, even once finishing in fourth place despite losing his bike saddle during the race. Eventually, he moved on to combat sports, attending a camp in Brazil to learn mixed martial arts and Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Materla have found success in mixed martial arts, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and submission wrestling.

## Mixed martial arts career
### Early career

Materla began his career in mixed martial arts in 2003, in his debut match at the MMA Polska 2 Materla defeated Tomasz Janiszewski by guillotine. After defeating Andrzej Kulik via kimura, Materla went and amassed with 6–2 score in Europe promotions before joining Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki (KSW).

### Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki

Materla made his KSW debut against Evert Fyeet at KSW VI: Konfrontacja as part of KSW VI tournament at middleweight. He won the fight via rear-naked choke. On the same night Materla submit Valdas Pocevicius in semi-finals and Krzysztof Kułak in finals in round one to win the tournament.
Materla next faced Jan Antoska at KSW VII: Konfrontacja on June 2, 2007, in Quarterfinals of VII tournament at middleweight. Materla won the bout via guillotine choke. Later at same event in semi-final of tournament Materla faced Antonio Mendes, he lost the bout via split decision.
Materla returned in KSW after four years, in 2011, against Gregory Babene at KSW 15: Konfrontacja. He won the bout after submitting Babene with a guillotine choke. Materla won his next two bouts against James Zikic and Matt Horwich, which earned him title shot for the vacant KSW Middleweight Championship.
Materla faced Jay Silva at KSW 19 on May 12, 2012. He won the bout and title via majority decision. Materla successfully defended his title against Rodney Wallace and Kendall Grove.
In a rematch, Materla faced Jay Silva in a non-title bout at KSW 24: Clash of the Giants on September 28, 2013. Materla lost the bout via KO in round two. Materla faced Jay Silva in a trilogy at KSW 26: Materla vs. Silva III. Materla won the bout via unanimous decision. In his next two bouts Materla knocked out Jorge Bezzer in non-title bout and defend his title against Tomasz Drwal.
Materla faced Mamed Khalidov at KSW 33: Materla vs. Khalidov. Materla lost the bout and title in first round after Khalidov stunned Materla with right hook and finished him with flying knee.
After losing his title, Materla faced Antoni Chmielewski at KSW 35: Khalidov vs. Karaoglu, where he knocked out Antoni in first round.
Materla faced Rousimar Palhares at KSW 36: Materla vs. Palhares on October 10, 2016. Materla won the bout via KO in round two.
On August 29, 2017, it was reported that Materla signed contract with Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and was expected to face Thiago Santos at UFC Fight Night 118 on October 21, 2017. However, on September 1 it was revealed that Materla choose to re-sign with KSW and bout was scrapped.
Materla next faced Paulo Thiago at KSW 40: Dublin on October 22, 2017. He won the bout via TKO in second round.
Materla faced Scott Askham in March 2018 at KSW 42: Khalidov vs. Narkun. He lost the bout via TKO in round one.
After a win over Martin Zawada, Materla entered KSW Middleweight tournament and faced Damian Janikowski at KSW 45: The Return to Wembley. He won the bout via technical knockout.
Martela rematched with Scott Askham in KSW Middleweight Tournament Final at KSW 49: Materla vs. Askham 2 on May 18, 2019, for vacant KSW Middleweight Championship. Materla lost the bout via KO in round three.

### EFM and return to KSW

On June 20, 2020, Materla fought at the EFM 3 against Wilhelm Ott for EFM Middleweight Championship, he defeated Ott in the 1st round and won the title in process.
On October 10, 2020, Materla returned to the KSW against Aleksandar Ilić at KSW 55: Askham vs. Khalidov 2. He won the fight via technical knockout in the second round. Three days later, he was awarded a bonus in the fight of the night category of that bout.
On November 14, 2020, at KSW 56: Materla vs. Soldić, Materla fought against the KSW Welterweight Champion, Roberto Soldić, fight took place at middleweight. He lost the bout via technically knockout in first round.
On June 5, 2021, at EFM Show 2 in Bulgaria was to take place, Materla was supposed to defend the EFM Middleweight Championship, but the bout was moved to September 11. The opponent of the popular Cipao in the new date of the bout was revealed to be Moise Rimbon whom he faced before in 2006. Materla won the bout via unanimous decision.
In December 2021 he announced that he was returning to the KSW. Materla returned to the cage of the Polish giant on January 15, 2022, at KSW 66: Ziółkowski vs. Mańkowski against Jason Radcliffe. He won the bout in the first round by TKO.
On May 28, 2022, at KSW 70: Pudzianowski vs. Materla, Materla faced the former strongest man in the world, Mariusz Pudzianowski, the clash took place at heavyweight. He lost the bout in the first round, after Pudzian hit him with uppercut, knocking Materla out cold.
During the first XTB KSW 78, which took place on January 21, 2023, Materla faced Kendall Grove in rematch. Materla won the fight via technical knockout in the second round, after he took down Kendall and smashed him in the ground position with strong elbows.
Materla faced Radoslaw Paczuski at XTB KSW 83: Colosseum 2 on June 3, 2023. He won the bout via knockout in the first round.
Materla fought for the KSW Middleweight Championship against reigning champion Paweł Pawlak on December 16, 2023 at KSW 89: Bartosiński vs. Parnasse, losing the bout via unanimous decision.
Exactly three months later, in the comain of KSW 92, Materla faced Piotr Kuberski, losing the bout 5 seconds before the end of the first round when he was knocked out by Kuberski.

## Personal life

In 2012, he played a feature role in the music video for the song "Wolves Two" from the album Robaki of the Luxtorpeda music group. In December 2016, he was detained in his home in Szczecin as part of a mass action by officers of the Central Police Investigation Bureau against people suspected of collaborating as part of an organized criminal group. Due to this incident, Materla was in pre-trial detention for seven months. On December 23, 2022, the District Prosecutor in Poznań discontinued the criminal case against Materla in its entirety.

## Championships and accomplishments
### Mixed martial arts

* Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki
** KSW Middleweight Championship (One time)
*** Four successful title defenses
** KSW 2006 Middleweight Tournament Winner
** Fight of the Night (Five times)
** Knockout of the Night (Three times)
* European Fight Masters
** EFM Middleweight Championship (One time)

### Grappling

* 2006: Polish Champion in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (-91 kg)
* 2006: ADCC Polish runner-up in middleweight (-87.9 kg)
* 2007: Round of 16 of the ADCC World Middleweight Championship (-87.9 kg)
* 2007: Polish champion in submission fighting (-99 kg) and runner-up in the open class
* 2008: ADCC European Middleweight Vice Champion (-87.9 kg)

## Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown :
| 44 matches | 33 wins | 11 losses |
| By knockout | 13 | 8 |
| By submission | 13 | 0 |
| By decision | 7 | 3 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
| Loss | 33–11 | Piotr Kuberski | TKO (punches) | KSW 92 | March 16, 2024 | 1 | 4:55 | Gorzów Wielkopolski, Poland | |
| Loss | 33–10 | Paweł Pawlak | Decision (unanimous) | KSW 89 | December 16, 2023 | 5 | 5:00 | Gliwice, Poland | For the KSW Middleweight Championship. |
| Win | 33–9 | Radosław Paczuski | KO (punches) | KSW 83 | June 3, 2023 | 1 | 1:37 | Warsaw, Poland | Return to Middleweight. Fight of the Night. |
| Win | 32–9 | Kendall Grove | TKO (punches) | KSW 78 | January 21, 2023 | 2 | 4:27 | Szczecin, Poland | Catchweight (195 lb) bout. |
| Loss | 31–9 | Mariusz Pudzianowski | KO (punch) | KSW 70 | May 28, 2022 | 1 | 1:47 | Łódź, Poland | Heavyweight debut. |
| Win | 31–8 | Jason Radcliffe | TKO (punches) | KSW 66 | January 15, 2022 | 1 | 4:07 | Szczecin, Poland | |
| Win | 30–8 | Moise Rimbon | Decision (unanimous) | EFM Show 2 | September 11, 2021 | 3 | 5:00 | Sofia, Bulgaria | Catchweight (194 lb) bout. |
| Loss | 29–8 | Roberto Soldić | TKO (punches) | KSW 56 | November 14, 2020 | 1 | 4:40 | Warsaw, Poland | |
| Win | 29–7 | Aleksandar Ilić | TKO (elbows and punches) | KSW 55 | October 10, 2020 | 2 | 1:33 | Warsaw, Poland | Fight of the Night. |
| Win | 28–7 | Wilhelm Ott | Submission (guillotine choke) | European Fight Masters 3 | Jun 20, 2020 | 1 | 1:04 | Berlin, Germany | Won the vacant EFM Middleweight Championship. |
| Loss | 27–7 | Scott Askham | KO (flying knee) | KSW 49 | May 18, 2019 | 3 | 1:23 | Gdańsk, Poland | 2019 KSW Middleweight Tournament Final. For the vacant KSW Middleweight Championship. Fight of the Night. |
| Win | 27–6 | Damian Janikowski | TKO (punches) | KSW 45 | October 6, 2018 | 1 | 3:10 | London, England | 2019 KSW Middleweight Tournament Semifinal. |
| Win | 26–6 | Martin Zawada | TKO (punches) | KSW 44 | Jun 9, 2018 | 2 | 2:59 | Gdańsk, Poland | Catchweight (198 lb) bout. |
| Loss | 25–6 | Scott Askham | TKO (kick to the body) | KSW 42 | March 3, 2018 | 1 | 1:09 | Łódź, Poland | |
| Win | 25–5 | Paulo Thiago | TKO (punches) | KSW 40 | October 22, 2017 | 2 | 0:50 | Dublin, Ireland | Knockout of the Night. |
| Win | 24–5 | Rousimar Palhares | KO (punch) | KSW 36 | October 1, 2016 | 2 | 1:27 | Zielona Góra, Poland | Knockout of the Night. |
| Win | 23–5 | Antoni Chmielewski | TKO (punches) | KSW 35 | May 27, 2016 | 1 | 4:12 | Gdańsk, Poland | |
| Loss | 22–5 | Mamed Khalidov | KO (flying knee and punches) | KSW 33 | November 28, 2015 | 1 | 0:31 | Kraków, Poland | Lost the KSW Middleweight Championship. |
| Win | 22–4 | Tomasz Drwal | TKO (punches) | KSW 31 | May 23, 2015 | 3 | 4:56 | Gdańsk, Poland | Defended the KSW Middleweight Championship. Fight of the Night. |
| Win | 21–4 | Jorge Luis Bezerra | TKO (punches) | KSW 28 | October 4, 2014 | 2 | 1:46 | Szczecin, Poland | Non-title bout; Bezerra missed weight (187.2 lb). |
| Win | 20–4 | Jay Silva | Decision (unanimous) | KSW 26 | March 22, 2014 | 3 | 5:00 | Warsaw, Poland | Defended the KSW Middleweight Championship. Fight of the Night. |
| Loss | 19–4 | Jay Silva | KO (punches) | KSW 24 | September 28, 2013 | 2 | 0:50 | Łódź, Poland | Non-title bout. |
| Win | 19–3 | Kendall Grove | Decision (unanimous) | KSW 23 | Jun 8, 2013 | 4 | 5:00 | Gdańsk, Poland | Defended the KSW Middleweight Championship. Fight of the Night. |
| Win | 18–3 | Rodney Wallace | KO (punch) | KSW 21 | December 1, 2012 | 1 | 0:21 | Warsaw, Poland | Defended the KSW Middleweight Championship. Knockout of the Night. |
| Win | 17–3 | Jay Silva | Decision (majority) | KSW 19 | May 12, 2012 | 3 | 5:00 | Łódź, Poland | Won the vacant KSW Middleweight Championship. Fight of the Night. |
| Win | 16–3 | Matt Horwich | Decision (unanimous) | KSW 17 | October 26, 2011 | 3 | 3:00 | Łódź, Poland | |
| Win | 15–3 | James Zikic | Decision (unanimous) | KSW 16 | May 21, 2011 | 2 | 5:00 | Gdańsk, Poland | |
| Win | 14–3 | Gregory Babene | Submission (guillotine choke) | KSW 15 | March 19, 2011 | 2 | 2:30 | Warsaw, Poland | |
| Win | 13–3 | Bohumil Lungrik | Submission (guillotine choke) | Pro Fight 3 | February 22, 2009 | 1 | 2:20 | Olsztyn, Poland | |
| Loss | 12–3 | Antonio Mendes | Decision (split) | KSW 7 | June 2, 2007 | 2 | 5:00 | Warsaw, Poland | 2007 KSW Middleweight Tournament Semifinal. |
| Win | 12–2 | Jan Antoska | Submission (guillotine choke) | KSW 7 | June 2, 2007 | 1 | 2:52 | Warsaw, Poland | 2007 KSW Middleweight Tournament Quarterfinal. |
| Won | 11–2 | Krzysztof Kulak | Submission (guillotine choke) | KSW 6 | October 14, 2006 | 1 | 2:41 | Warsaw, Poland | Won the 2006 KSW Middleweight Tournament. |
| Win | 10–2 | Valdas Pocevicius | Technical Submission (rear-naked choke) | KSW 6 | October 14, 2006 | 1 | 4:28 | Warsaw, Poland | 2006 KSW Middleweight Tournament Semifinal. |
| Win | 9–2 | Evert Fyeet | Submission (rear-naked choke) | KSW 6 | October 14, 2006 | 2 | 2:13 | Warsaw, Poland | 2006 KSW Middleweight Tournament Quarterfinal. |
| Loss | 8–2 | Moise Rimbon | Decision (unanimous) | World Freefight Challenge: Europe vs. Brazil | May 20, 2006 | 3 | 5:00 | Koper, Slovenia | |
| Loss | 8–1 | Evangelista Santos | KO (punches) | Jungle Fight 5 | November 26, 2005 | 2 | 1:23 | Manaus, Brazil | |
| Win | 8–0 | Andrzej Kulik | Decision (unanimous) | Colosseum 5 | January 5, 2005 | 2 | 5:00 | Bielsko-Biała, Poland | |
| Win | 7–0 | Wojciech Golaszewski | Submission (kimura) | MMA Poland 7 | December 18, 2004 | 1 | 1:18 | Warsaw, Poland | |
| Win | 6–0 | Miika Mehmet | Submission (rear-naked choke) | The Cage Vol. 1 | October 2, 2004 | 1 | 4:08 | Helsinki, Finland | |
| Win | 5–0 | Giedrius Pranckevicius | Submission (armbar) | Colosseum 2 | May 16, 2004 | 2 | 2:36 | Chorzów, Poland | |
| Win | 4–0 | Christoph Meyer | Submission | Fight Club Berlin 3 | March 28, 2004 | 1 | N/A | Berlin, Germany | |
| Win | 3–0 | Jaroslaw Stachera | KO (punch) | MMA Poland 3 | December 13, 2003 | 1 | 0:22 | Warsaw, Poland | |
| Win | 2–0 | Andrzej Kulik | Technical Submission (kimura) | MMA Poland 2 | March 11, 2003 | 1 | 3:12 | Warsaw, Poland | |
| Win | 1–0 | Tomasz Janiszewski | Submission (guillotine choke) | MMA Poland 2 | March 11, 2003 | 2 | 4:21 | Warsaw, Poland | Middleweight debut. |