Cameroon timber Krzysztof Glowacki kicked off his MMA career in the best way possible.
The former two-time WBO cruiserweight champion scored an unbelievable first-round knockout win over Patryk Tolkaczewski at KSW 83: Colosseum 2 on Saturday at PGE Narodowy in Warsaw.
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Glowacki was on his back, being dominated before landing a big left handCredit: KSW
Tolkaczewski was in full mount, which is arguably the most dominant position in MMA, reigning down strikes on the ex-boxer who looked defenceless.
It seemed like Glowacki’s debut in a new sport was moments away from coming to a disastrous conclusion when he landed a single left hand from his back and knocked Tolkaczewski out cold.
The fight was the first for Glowacki since his fourth-round knockout loss to Richard Riakporhe on January 21 at AO Arena in Manchester, which prompted a retirement announcement in March.
At the peak of his powers, Glowacki boasted a 26-0 record and was the WBO cruiserweight king after high-profile wins over Marco Huck and Steve Cunningham.
However, he soon ran into Oleksandr Usyk who beat him over 12 rounds to win the first of four 200lbs belts he picked up before moving up the heavyweight division and dethroning Anthony Joshua.
Glowacki bounced back with five successive wins and recaptured the WBO title – originally winning the interim belt before being upgraded to full champion – by outpointing Maxim Vlasov over 12 rounds.
The Polish southpaw was stopped in three rounds by Mairis Briedis in his very next fight before being taken out by Lawrence Okolie inside six rounds in March 2021.
Glowacki ultimately walked away from boxing with an impressive 32-4 record and can now say he is an undefeated MMA fighter after his crazy debut KO.
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The punch knocked his opponent out coldCredit: KSW
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Glowacki is a former two-time WBO cruiserweight champion
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He suffered defeats against Lawrence Okolie and Richard Riakporhe in the UKCredit: Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing
On the same card, former heavyweight boxer Artur Szpilka stretched his MMA record to 3-0 with a shock knockout win over Mariusz Pudzianowski who was crowned ‘The World’s Strongest Man’ five times during the noughties.
Since transitioning to MMA, he’s amassed a 17-8 record and picked up wins over boxing legend Butterbean, MMA icon Bob Sapp and former UFC star Oli Thompson to become a popular figure in the sport.
After beating him, Szpilka, who fought Deontay Wilder and Derek Chisora during his boxing career, has become a genuine KSW heavyweight title contender and he could be matched up with Glowacki after their upset wins.