KSW 121 results: Vojcak stops Wojcik in the fourth and takes the interim heavyweight belt

The KSW 121 results are in from Liberec, and the heaviest division in European MMA has a new name on its belt. Stefan Vojcak beat Marcin Wojcik (22-11) by TKO in the fourth round to claim the interim heavyweight title, in a fight that only became a title fight three weeks ago, when eight-year champion Phil De Fries went down with a neck injury.

Key takeaways

Stefan Vojcak stopped Marcin Wojcik (22-11) in the fourth round at KSW 121 on September 19 at the Home Credit Arena in Liberec, Czech Republic, to win the interim heavyweight title.
The belt was only interim because Phil De Fries, champion for eight years, suffered a cervical spine injury three weeks out; Wojcik stepped in on short notice.
In the co-main event, Michal Michalski submitted Radoslaw Paczuski in the first round, and the Muslim Tulshaev against Kacper Koziorzebski bout ended in a no contest after a groin strike.

KSW 121 results: how the main event went

One-way traffic, then a finish

Vojcak took the centre immediately, pushed Wojcik to the cage and controlled on the mat. The first round set the tone in numbers: 44 strikes landed to 8. The second ended with Wojcik dropped and saved by the bell, the third was another round spent surviving, and the fourth ended it. Vojcak landed a kick, followed his man to the floor and finished there, with the referee stepping in.

What the belt is worth

It is the interim version, which in this division means something precise: the real belt has not moved in eight years. De Fries has held it since 2018, and an interim champion in that context is less a placeholder than an audition for the fight everyone actually wants.

Why the title was interim in the first place

A neck injury, three weeks out

De Fries was the scheduled opponent. He suffered an injury to the cervical region of the spine three weeks before the card, an injury serious enough that it may keep him out for a long stretch rather than a cycle. The promotion turned the bout into an interim title fight and found a replacement.

The replacement, and the ones who said no

Wojcik accepted quickly, which Vojcak said was the one good thing about the situation. “I was disappointed by it, because I was really looking forward to that fight,” he told InTheCage.pl, explaining that his camp had prepared specifically for De Fries. Before Wojcik was confirmed, Artur Szpilka and a rematch with Arkadiusz Wrzosek had both been considered.

A division unfrozen by accident

Eight years of one champion is a long time for any weight class, and it took an injury rather than a defeat to open it. Whoever holds the interim belt now has the cleanest claim to the undisputed one, and the man who owns it has not lost it in the cage.

I was disappointed by it, because I was really looking forward to that fight.
— Stefan Vojcak, to InTheCage.pl, on Phil De Fries withdrawing

The rest of the KSW 121 card

Main card

Michal Michalski submitted Radoslaw Paczuski in round one. Kacper Formela beat Leo Brichta on the cards, 29-28, 30-27 and 28-28. Muslim Tulshaev against Kacper Koziorzebski was waved off as a no contest after a groin strike in the first. Josef Stummer edged Lukasz Charzewski 30-27, 29-28, 28-29. Malgorzata Popowicz submitted Hanka Gelnarova in the third.

Prelims

Borys Dzikowski stopped Adrian Dudek by TKO in the second. Dominik Zadora beat Samuel Bily by unanimous decision, three cards of 30-27, on his first outing for the promotion after coming through FAME MMA and Prime MMA.

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Records, finishes, activity and our own ratings are kept up to date in the FightHub app, across promotions and not just the biggest one. Download it to follow the heavyweight picture in Europe as the interim belt turns into a real one.

KSW 121 results Vojcak stops Wojcik in the fourth and takes the interim heavyweight belt