After Jan Blachowicz became the light heavyweight champion in 2020 by beating Dominick Reyes on Fight Island, are you wondering who the best Polish UFC fighters are?
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Best Polish UFC Fighters
Polish MMA is continuing to grow in stature, and while there are only 8 active Polish UFC fighters as of August 2022, there has been a fair amount more than this throughout the years.
However, Poland has had limited success when compared to American, Brazilian, and Mexican UFC fighters.
These are the best Polish UFC fighters of all time as of August 2022.
1. Joanna Jedrzejczyk (16-5)
Height: 5’6” | Reach: 65” | Stance: Orthodox | Weight Class: Strawweight
By far the best Polish UFC fighter is recently retired (2022) Joanna Jedrzejczyk. Joanna is the former UFC strawweight champion and is considered one of the greatest female strawweights in UFC history.
Before making it to the UFC, she was a five-time gold medalist muay thai champion and also a kickboxing champion.
After beating Carla Esparza in 2015 to win the title, Joanna had 5 successful title defenses consecutively in the strawweight division, before losing to Rose Namajunas in 2017. This run also included 8 consecutive strawweight wins, both of which are UFC records.
These are Joanna’s best attributes:
- A granite chin and durability
- Striking accuracy, speed, and technique – especially the jab
- Amazing footwork, movement, and evasiveness
- 80% Takedown defense over 15 UFC fights
- Great Bjj awareness and defense, having never lost by submission
Her best wins came against, Jessica Andrade, Carla Esparza, and Claudia Gadelha twice. Her losses came against greats of the game, Zhang Weili, Valentina Shevchenko, and Rose Namajunas.
2. Jan Blachowicz (29-10-1)
Height: 6’2” | Reach: 78” | Stance: Orthodox | Weight Class: Light Heavyweight
Coming in as the second-best Polish UFC fighter, Jan Blachowicz became the second Polish UFC champion by beating Dominick Reyes to take the vacant light heavyweight title in 2020.
Jan is commonly referred to as ‘Polish Power’, representing the enormous knockout power he has in his punches.
Before making it to the UFC in 2014, Jan turned professional in 2007 and became the KSW light heavyweight champion with two successful title defenses.
Jan’s best attributes are:
- Legendary Polish power (knockout potential) – punches and left body kick
- Unique striking style that’s hard for opponents to prepare for
- Bjj black-belt and 9 submission wins
- Highly composed and calm
His best wins have come against Jared Cannonier, Dominick Reyes, Luke Rockhold, Aleksander Rakic, and Israel Adesanya – where he became the first and only fighter to beat him.
3. Marcin ‘Tybur’ Tybura (25-8)
Height: 6’3” | Reach: 78” | Stance: Orthodox | Weight Class: Heavyweight
Marcin Tybura’s a UFC heavyweight with huge potential but has been inconsistent throughout his UFC career, with a record of 10-6.
He became a professional in 2011 and joined M1 Global, becoming the heavyweight champion and M1 Grand Prix 2013 heavyweight champion.
Marcin’s best attributes are:
- 82% takedown defense – highest in UFC heavyweight history
- Forward pressure, great cardio, and durability to outlast opponents
- Very well-rounded with striking, Bjj (black belt), and grappling (no specific weakness)
- Composure and focus – never rushing
Showing his huge potential are his wins against Ben Rothwell, Alexander Romanov, Sergey Spivak, Greg Hardy, Tai Tuivasa, and Walt Harris. And while it’s easy to say he’s been inconsistent, he’s lost to legends of the sport in, Derrick Lewis, Fabricio Werdum, and Alexander Volkov.
4. Mateusz ‘Gamer’ Gamrot (24-2-0-1NC)
Height: 5’10” | Reach: 70” | Stance: Southpaw | Weight Class: Lightweight
Mateusz Gamrot has only been in the UFC since 2020, but he’s quickly becoming one of the best Polish UFC fighters and lightweights.
Gamrot started his career as a wrestler, fighting over 300 times and winning several medals at the World and European wrestling championships, while he also won two golds at the amateur MMA European championships in 2012.
Gamrot became an MMA professional in 2012 and was soon the KSW two-division champion, featherweight, and lightweight – with three title defenses at lightweight.
With a record of 21-1, Mateusz lost his first UFC fight but won his next 4 in the lightweight division, where he also picked up bonuses in 4 out of 5 of these fights; a testament to his entertaining highly energetic style of fighting.
Mateusz’s best attributes are:
- Insane wrestling where he’s a decorated World and European medalist
- Immense takedowns and ground control – In 6 UFC fights he has an average takedown per fight of 4.83
- Relentless energy and cardio
- Well-rounded with 7 knockouts, 5 submissions, and 9 decisions
Although he’s only been in the UFC for 2 years, he shot to #9 in the lightweight rankings, picking up wins against Rafael Fiziev, Jeremy Stephens, Diego Ferreira, Jalin Turner, and his best against Arman Tsarukyan.
5. Krzysztof Jotko (24-6)
Height: 6’1” | Reach: 77” | Stance: Southpaw | Weight Class: Middleweight
Originally a breakdancer, Jotko started to train MMA after being inspired by Tito Ortiz and Ken Shamrock at UFC 40.
Jotko is a very experienced and underrated MMA fighter, joining the UFC in 2013 and amassing an 11-5 record.
While not the best record, Jotko has won his last 5 out of 6 fights and has seemingly turned a corner by displaying high-quality striking skills.
Jotko’s best attributes are:
- 3rd highest takedown defense in middleweight history with 83% – which is why he’s only lost once by submission
- Great footwork, timing, and striking technique
- High fight IQ and durability allow him to outlast opponents for decision victories
His best wins have come against Marc-Andre Barriault, Misha Cirkunov, and Gerald Meerschaert, and has only lost to great fighters such as Sean Strickland, Uriah Hall, and Brad Tavares.
Jotko is highly criticized for lacking knockout power or any kind of finishing prowess, as he only has 1 knockout win and zero submissions in his 11 UFC wins. This may be justified, but with a record of 24-5, he manages to win and that’s all that matters.
6. Marcin Prachnio (16-7)
Height: 6’3” | Reach: 74” | Stance: Orthodox | Weight Class: Light Heavyweight
Marcin Prachnio made his start in karate, where he’s a black belt and two-time Polish karate champion. This is evident in his fighting style, where he’s very kick-dominant and uses them as his main weapon in the UFC.
In 2013 he transitioned to MMA and became the FFC light heavyweight champion, sporting a 9-2 record. He then joined ONE FC and notched 4 straight wins before joining the UFC in 2018.
Prachnio’s best attributes are:
- Huge knockout power – 11 knockouts in 15 wins
- Lightning-quick, powerful, and versatile kicks
- Technical striking and sharp counters
- Entertaining kill-or-be-killed style of fighter
His best wins are against Khalil Rountree and Isaac Villanueva, while he lost to Mike Rodriguez, Magomed Ankalaev, and Sam Alvey – all great or much more experienced fighters.
Overall, Prachnio has had a tough start to life in the UFC as he’s been knocked out in 3 of 4 losses and has a 2-4 record.
He needs to improve his striking defense and footwork so he can evade and block damage more effectively. If he can do this, he has the mentality and skillset to quickly rise the light heavyweight rankings.
7. Karolina ‘Polish Princess’ Kowalkiewicz (16-7)
Height: 5’3” | Reach: 64” | Stance: Orthodox | Weight Class: Strawweight
Karolina started training in krav maga and Muay Thai before starting her MMA career in 2012. She became the KSW flyweight champion in Poland and moved on to Invicta FC, before joining the UFC in 2015 with a perfect 7-0 record.
With great confidence and striking abilities, Karolina won her first three UFC fights to move to 10-0 and secure an all-Polish strawweight showdown against the undisputed champion, Joanna Jedrzejczyk.
Karolina’s best attributes are:
- Knees and elbows in the clinch
- High cardio and durability – only lost once by knockout
- Speedy boxing combinations
Karolina’s best wins are against Rosa Namajunas and Randa Markos, while she lost against Joanna Jedrzejczyk in her title fight.
Unfortunately for Karolina, as good as she once was, she was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s disease in 2019, an auto-immune disease that gradually destroys the thyroid and causes weight gain, random pains, and fatigue.
During this time from 2018-2021, Karolina suffered 5 losses in a row, likely in part due to the disease.
However, she has now won her last 4 UFC fights, beating the likes of Felice Herrig, Vanessa Demopoulos, and Diana Belbita.
Honorable Mentions
Some Polish fighters who were very good but never had the best time in the UFC because of the step up in competition are:
- Bartosz Fabinski: 3-3 UFC record
- Bart Palaszewkski: 1-3 UFC record
- Krzysztof Soszynski: 6-3 UFC record
- Marcin Held: 1-3 UFC record
- Damian Grabowski: 0-3 UFC record
- Piotr Hallmann: 2-4 UFC record
- Tomasz Rdawl: 3-3 UFC record
- Michał Oleksiejczuk: 7-3 UFC record
