Krzysztof Soszynski

Krzysztof Soszyński (; born August 2, 1977) is a Polish‐Canadian actor and retired mixed martial artist. An 11-year competitor from 2003 until 2014, Soszynski fought in the UFC, Strikeforce, the Los Angeles Anacondas of the IFL. Also, he was a contestant on The Ultimate Fighter: Team Nogueira vs. Team Mir.

Background Soszynski was born in Stalowa Wola, Poland, where he was raised until the age of ten, when his family moved to Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Soszynski played football and soccer for Maples Collegiate, but later turned to weight training at the age of 16 before transitioning into bodybuilding and later professional wrestling. During his career in professional wrestling, which he began at the age of 21 and ended at the age of 25, Soszynski learned various judo techniques as well as submissions from fellow professional wrestler Bad News Brown, a bronze medalist in Judo at the 1976 Olympic games. After this, Soszynski began to pursue a career in mixed martial arts and also trained in Brazilian jiu-jitsu under black belt and gym owner, Rodrigo Munduruca, in Winnipeg. Soszynski also worked as a houseman at the Fairmont Winnipeg Hotel and as a promoter of local MMA events in Manitoba.

Mixed martial arts career The Ultimate Fighter Soszynski entered The Ultimate Fighter, where he defeated Mike Stewart and Kyle Kingsbury on the way to the semifinals, where he lost to Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialist Vinny Magalhaes.

Ultimate Fighting Championship Soszynski made his debut against former Ultimate Fighter castmate Shane Primm, whom he defeated by submission due to a kimura. It was awarded Submission of the Night.

His second fight was at UFC 97 where Soszynski again utilized the kimura to win his second consecutive Submission of the Night award by forcing former WEC Light heavyweight Champion Brian Stann to tap to the hold.

Soszynski next stepped in as a late replacement for Houston Alexander at UFC 98, knocking out André Gusmão at 3:17 in the first round.

Soszynski then stepped in as a replacement for an injured Matt Hamill to fight Brandon Vera at UFC 102 in Portland, Oregon. Soszynski lost via unanimous decision, bringing his UFC record down to 3–1.

Soszynski next faced Stephan Bonnar on February 21, 2010, at UFC 110. Soszynski was victorious via third-round TKO due to a cut, though the victory was shadowed by an accidental headbutt that caused the cut, creating controversy over the victory. The New South Wales Sports Combat Authority overlooked the fight which could have resulted in the decision being overturned, depending on the judges' scorecards after round two. However, they ruled against overturning the decision. Both fighters stated that there was the need for a rematch.

Their wish was later granted as the two had their rematch at UFC 116. In a close stand up battle, Soszynski got caught by a knee from Bonnar in the second round and lost via TKO after taking several unanswered punches. The fight was awarded Fight of the Night alongside the Leben/Akiyama fight, giving all the fighters an extra $75,000 to their pay.

Soszynski faced Goran Reljic on November 13, 2010, at UFC 122. He won the fight via unanimous decision.

Soszynski was scheduled to face Anthony Perosh on June 11, 2011, at UFC 131. However, Perosh was forced from the bout with an injury and replaced by Igor Pokrajac. Pokrajac was also injured and replaced by returning UFC veteran Mike Massenzio. He defeated Massenzio via unanimous decision (30–27, 30–26, and 30–27).

Soszynski/Pokrajac took place on December 10, 2011, at UFC 140. Soszynski was staggered early on with a straight right from Pokrajac, who followed him to the ground where he landed several shots that finished Soszynski off, resulting in a KO loss. Soszynski was unresponsive for a few minutes after the fight. In a video blog by Dana White, president of the UFC, leading up to UFC 141, there was footage of Soszynski following his loss to Pokrajac and was seen claiming that he is retiring from MMA. Later, he claimed he has no memory of what occurred in the video and says his future in MMA fighting will be dependent upon what his doctors say.

On August 15, 2014, Krzysztof announced his retirement from MMA competition on Inside MMA, citing memory problems that began occurring after his last fight.

Film career

Aside from his appearance on The Ultimate Fighter TV show, Soszynski had a small uncredited role in an episode of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation entitled "S.F.C. - Cage Fighter".

Soszynski made an appearance in the movie Here Comes the Boom as a top MMA fighter in the UFC by the name of Ken "The Executioner" Dietrich. He then landed a major role in the movie Tapped Out (2014). He starred as Alpha in the 2016 Daylight's End. Soszynski had a role in the 2017 movie Logan.

Personal life Soszynski was married and has a son from a previous relationship.

Soszynski initially worked as a coach at UFC Gym Torrance, and is currently the Director of MMA and Fitness for UFC Gym Middle East.

Soszynski has also been acting as a color commentator of Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki as of 2020.

Championships and achievements Ultimate Fighting Championship Submission of the Night (Two times) vs. Shane Primm and Brian Stann Fight of the Night (One time) vs. Stephan Bonnar UFC.com Awards 2010: Ranked #3 Fight of the Year

Mixed martial arts record Loss

Igor Pokrajac KO (punches) UFC 140

Toronto, Ontario, Canada Win

Mike Massenzio Decision (unanimous) UFC 131

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Win

Goran Reljic Decision (unanimous) UFC 122

Oberhausen, Germany Loss

Stephan Bonnar TKO (knee and punches) UFC 116

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Win

Stephan Bonnar TKO (doctor stoppage) UFC 110

Sydney, Australia Loss

Brandon Vera Decision (unanimous) UFC 102

Portland, Oregon, United States Win

André Gusmão KO (punches) UFC 98

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Win

Brian Stann Submission (kimura) UFC 97

Montreal, Quebec, Canada Win

Shane Primm Submission (kimura) The Ultimate Fighter: Team Nogueira vs. Team Mir Finale

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Win

Marcus Hicks Submission (kimura) UCW 11: Hell in the Cage

Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada Win

Alex Andrade DQ (low blows) Ring of Combat 18

New Jersey, United States Win

Robert Villegas DQ (refusal to fight) HDNet Fights: Reckless Abandon

Texas, United States Return to Light Heavyweight. Loss

Ben Rothwell TKO (punches) IFL: 2007 Semifinals

New Jersey, United States Loss

Reese Andy Decision (split) IFL: Everett

Everett, Washington, United States Win

Dan Christison Decision (unanimous) IFL: Los Angeles

California, United States Loss

Mike Whitehead Decision (unanimous) IFL: Championship Final

Connecticut, United States Win

Devin Cole Submission (armbar) IFL: World Championship Semifinals

Oregon, United States Win

Icho Larenas TKO (doctor stoppage) TKO 27: Reincarnation

Montreal, Quebec, Canada Win

Tom Howard TKO (punches) IFL: Portland

Portland, Oregon, United States Win

Yan Pellerin Submission (kimura) TKO 26: Heatwave

Quebec, Canada Loss

Ben Rothwell TKO (punches) IFL: Legends Championship 2006

New Jersey, United States Draw

Mike Kyle Technical Draw Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Gracie

California, United States Loss

Brian Schall TKO (punches) TKO 24: Eruption

Quebec, Canada Return to Heavyweight. Loss

Martin Desilets TKO (doctor stoppage) TKO 23: Extreme

Quebec, Canada Loss

Matt Horwich Submission (rear-naked choke) Freedom Fight: Canada vs. USA

Quebec, Canada Light Heavyweight debut. Win

Ron Fields Submission (armbar) UCW 2: Caged Inferno

Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada Win

Jason Day TKO (punches) RR 8: Roadhouse Rumble 8

Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada Win

Troy Hadley TKO (punches) NFA: Super Brawl

North Dakota, United States Win

Chris Thiel KO (punches) Ultimate Cage Wars 1

Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada Win

Wyatt Lewis KO (punches) RITR 1: Rage in the Ring 1

Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada Win

Lee Mein TKO (submission to punches) WFF 7: Professional Shooto

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Loss

Chris Tuchscherer Decision (unanimous) NFA: Moorhead

Minnesota, United States Win

Dennis Stull TKO (punches) ICC: Trials 2

Minnesota, United States Win

Jack Burton Submission (rear-naked choke) ICC: Trials 2

Minnesota, United States Win

Matt Lafromboise TKO (submission to punches) DFC 1: Dakota Fighting Championships 1

North Dakota, United States Win

Kyle Olsen Submission (exhaustion) NFA: Best Damn Fights

North Dakota, United States Win

Ben Konecnec TKO (punches) IFA: Ultimate Trials

Iowa, United States Loss

Jason Day Decision (unanimous) RR 8: Roadhouse Rumble 8

Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada Win

Matt Lafromboise TKO (submission to punches) Absolute Ada Fights 4

Minnesota, United States