Marcin Held

Marcin Held (born January 18, 1992) is a Polish mixed martial artist who competes in the Lightweight division of Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki (KSW). He is currently ranked #2 in the KSW Lightweight rankings. He formerly competed in the Lightweight division of the Absolute Championship Berkut, Professional Fighters League, and Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional MMA competitor since 2008, Held has competed frequently in his home country of Poland and is highly touted by the media, often being regarded as "the prodigy of Polish MMA". He fought in Bellator MMA from 2010 to 2016, challenging for the Bellator Lightweight Championship in 2015.

Background Held began training in submission grappling at the age of nine, with emphasis on submission wrestling controls and Sambo style leglock system. He also received a jiu-jitsu black belt at the age 21, becoming the youngest black belt in Poland. Though he fights at lightweight, he has expressed a desire to compete at featherweight, should the right fight become available.

Held's first professional loss came at the hands of Lukasz Sajewski, a fellow highly rated prospect from Poland. Sajewski was able to neutralise the submission game of Held, before gaining top position and riding out a unanimous decision victory.

Held rebounded to defeat the former Cage Rage Lightweight Champion Jean Silva. Held attacked his opponent with a lot of leg locks, Jean didn't tap very good leg lock and after he stand up he fall down because of knee injury. Held won the fight via TKO.

Held was scheduled to participate in the inaugural event of a new Polish promotion - Infinite Fighting Federation - in October in Dąbrowa Górnicza, against German fighter Franco de Leonardis. However, due to an accident involving de Leonardis, he faced Bojan Kosednar. Held won the fight with a kneebar submission in the second round.

According to mmarocks, Held signed a contract to compete against Juha-Pekka Vainikainen in November at Iron Fist 3. However, for unknown reasons, Held was forced to pull out of the fight and was replaced by Anthony Durnell.

Bellator MMA On October 14, Held signed with Bellator MMA to compete in their Season Four Lightweight Tournament. He faced wrestler Michael Chandler in the opening quarterfinal round at Bellator 36. He lost via arm-triangle choke submission in the first round.

Held faced Phillipe Nover at Bellator 59. He won the fight via split decision (29–28, 29–28, 29–28). Sherdog.com scored the bout 29–28 in favor of Nover.

Held faced Murad Machaev in the opening round of the Bellator Season 7 Lightweight Tournament Quarterfinal on October 19, 2012, at Bellator 77. He won the fight via unanimous decision. He faced Rich Clementi in the semifinals on November 16, 2012, at Bellator 81 and won via submission in the second round.

Held was expected to face Dave Jansen for the Season Seven Tournament Final at Bellator 84 but Held was not allowed in the Horseshoe casino, in Hammond, Indiana, where the event was being held since he was only 20 years old, and therefore the fight has been pushed to sometime during Bellator Fighting Championships: Season Eight.

The bout with Jansen was rescheduled for March 21, 2013, at Bellator 93. Held lost the fight via unanimous decision.

Held rebounded with a first-round KO win over Ryan Healy at Bellator 101.

Held next faced Rodrigo Cavalheiro in the Bellator Season 10 Lightweight Tournament quarterfinals at Bellator 113. He won the fight via submission in the first round. He faced Derek Anderson in the semifinals at Bellator 117 and won via submission in the second round. He faced Patricky Pitbull in the finals at Bellator 126 on September 26, 2014. Held dominated the fight and won via unanimous decision.

Held faced Alexander Sarnavskiy at Bellator 136 on April 10, 2015. He won the fight via verbal submission in the third round.

Held faced Will Brooks for the Bellator Lightweight Championship on November 6, 2015, at Bellator 145. Despite popping Brooks' knee in the opening round, Held lost the fight via unanimous decision.

Held had a rematch with Dave Jansen on May 20, 2016, at Bellator 155. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Despite getting the win, Bellator MMA announced they had released Held from his contract. Held, however, wrote a Facebook post citing that he terminated his own contract.

Ultimate Fighting Championship On August 30, Held officially signed with the UFC.

Held made his promotional debut against UFC veteran Diego Sanchez on November 5, 2016, at The Ultimate Fighter Latin America 3 Finale. Despite having some success with his boxing and remaining active off his back looking for submissions, Held lost the bout by unanimous decision.

Held next faced Joe Lauzon on January 15, 2017, at UFC Fight Night 103. He lost the fight via a controversial split decision, with even his opponent Lauzon saying he felt he lost the bout post-fight. Likewise, 16 out of 17 media pundits scored the bout for Held; the lone holdout scored the fight a draw.

Held faced Damir Hadžović on May 28, 2017, at UFC Fight Night 109. After handily winning the first two rounds, he lost the fight via knockout in the opening seconds of the third round.

Held was expected to face Teemu Packalen on October 21, 2017, at UFC Fight Night 118. Teemu injured his knee and was replaced by Nasrat Haqparast. Held won the fight via unanimous decision to earn his first UFC win and fighting out his rookie contract.

Absolute Championship Berkut Despite the UFC offering a new contract, Held decided to sign a contract with Absolute Championship Berkut and he faced Callan Potter in his debut at ACB 88. Held won the bout via submission in the first round.

Professional Fighters League In March 2020, Held signed with Professional Fighters League.

Held made his PFL debut against Natan Schulte on April 23, 2021, at PFL 1. He won the bout via unanimous decision.

Held faced Olivier Aubin-Mercier at PFL 4 on June 10, 2021. He lost the bout via unanimous decision.

Held faced Natan Schulte on June 17, 2022, at PFL 4. He lost the bout via unanimous decision.

Held faced Myles Price on August 13, 2022, at PFL 8. He won the bout via guillotine choke in the second round.

Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki On October 14, 2023 it was announced that Held signed with KSW and would make his debut against Raul Tutarauli on December 16, 2023 at KSW 89. Held lost the bout in the second round via TKO stoppage.

In his sophomore performance, Held faced Roman Szymański on June 7, 2024 at KSW 95, winning the bout via unanimous decision.

Professional grappling career Held competed in a superfight against Guram Kutateladze at ADXC 1 on October 20, 2023. He won the match by submission with an armbar.

Held then competed in the under 80 kg division of the Ocean BJJ Pro Championship on September 21, 2024. He submitted two opponents before losing in the semi-final to Fabyury Khrysthyan.

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts Mixed Martial Arts Challengers MMA Challengers 2 Lightweight Tournament Winner Bellator Fighting Championships Bellator Season 10 Lightweight Tournament Winner Bellator Season 7 Lightweight Tournament Runner-Up Tied (with Michael Chandler and Adam Piccolotti) for most submission victories in Bellator Lightweight division (five)

Submission grappling ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship 2011 ADCC Submission Wrestling Polish Championships Gold Medalist 2010 ADCC Submission Wrestling European Championships Bronze Medalist International Federation of Associated Wrestling Styles 2011 FILA Grappling European Championships Senior No-Gi Gold Medalist 2010 FILA Grappling World Championships Senior Gi Silver Medalist Polaris 2018 Polaris 6 - Defeated Chris Fishgold by Armbar

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation 2010 IBJJF European Open Jiu-Jitsu Championships Purple Belt Gold Medalist Federation International of Jiu-Jitsu Association 2012 FIJJA World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Cup Warsaw Trials Absolute Brown/Black Belt Runner-up 2012 FIJJA World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Cup Warsaw Trials Brown/Black Belt 3rd Place

Pankration International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation 2010 FILA Pankration World Championships Senior Silver Medalist

Mixed martial arts record Loss

Salahdine Parnasse TKO (punches) KSW 114

Radom, Poland Win

Marian Ziółkowski Decision (unanimous) KSW 112

Szczecin, Poland Win

Davy Gallon Submission (guillotine choke) KSW 101

Nanterre, France Win

Roman Szymański Decision (unanimous) KSW 95

Olsztyn, Poland Loss

Raul Tutarauli TKO (punches) KSW 89

Gliwice, Poland Win

Myles Price Submission (guillotine choke) PFL 9 (2022)

London, England Loss

Natan Schulte Decision (unanimous) PFL 4 (2022)

Atlanta, Georgia, United States Loss

Olivier Aubin-Mercier Decision (unanimous) PFL 4 (2021)

Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States Win

Natan Schulte Decision (unanimous) PFL 1 (2021)

Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States Win

Diego Brandão Decision (unanimous) ACA 96

Łódź, Poland Win

Musa Khamanaev Submission (heel hook) |ACB 90

Moscow, Russia Win

Callan Potter Submission (heel hook) ACB 88

Brisbane, Australia Win

Nasrat Haqparast Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Cowboy vs. Till

Gdańsk, Poland Loss

Damir Hadžović KO (knee) UFC Fight Night: Gustafsson vs. Teixeira

Stockholm, Sweden Loss

Joe Lauzon Decision (split) UFC Fight Night: Rodríguez vs. Penn

Phoenix, Arizona, United States Loss

Diego Sanchez Decision (unanimous) The Ultimate Fighter Latin America 3 Finale: dos Anjos vs. Ferguson

Mexico City, Mexico Win

Dave Jansen Decision (unanimous) Bellator 155

Boise, Idaho, United States Loss

Will Brooks Decision (unanimous) Bellator 145

St. Louis, Missouri, United States Win

Alexander Sarnavskiy Submission (kneebar) Bellator 136

Irvine, California, United States Win

Patricky Freire Decision (unanimous) Bellator 126

Phoenix, Arizona, United States Win

Nate Jolly Submission (armbar) Bellator 120

Southaven, Mississippi, United States Win

Derek Anderson Submission (triangle choke) Bellator 117

Council Bluffs, Iowa, United States Win

Rodrigo Cavalheiro Submission (toe hold) Bellator 113

Mulvane, Kansas, United States Win

Ryan Healy KO (punches) Bellator 101

Portland, Oregon, United States Loss

Dave Jansen Decision (unanimous) Bellator 93

Lewiston, Maine, United States Win

Rich Clementi Submission (toe hold) Bellator 81

Kingston, Rhode Island, United States Win

Murad Machaev Decision (unanimous) Bellator 77

Reading, Pennsylvania, United States Win

Derrick Kennington Submission (heel hook) Bellator 68

Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States Win

Phillipe Nover Decision (split) Bellator 59

Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States Win

Kaleo Kwan Submission (inverted heel hook) Australian FC 2

Melbourne, Australia Loss

Michael Chandler Technical Submission (arm-triangle choke) Bellator 36

Shreveport, Louisiana, United States Win

Bojan Kosednar Submission (kneebar) Infinite Fighting Federation: The Eternal Struggle

Dąbrowa Górnicza, Poland Win

Jean Silva TKO (knee injury) Pro Fight 5

Wrocław, Poland Loss

Łukasz Sajewski Decision (unanimous) Angels of Fire 7

Płock, Poland Win

Przemysław Zbiciak Submission (rear-naked choke) Ring XF 1

Zgierz, Poland Win

Borys Mańkowski Submission (armbar)

Win

Mariusz Abramiak Submission (rear-naked choke)

Win

Ireneusz Mila Decision (unanimous)

Win

Rafał Lasota TKO (leg injury) Shooto Poland: Held vs. Lasota

Kielce, Poland Win

Mariusz Pioskowik TKO (punches) Bytomska: Gala MMA 2

Bytom, Poland Win

Artur Sowiński Decision (majority) MMA Challengers 1

Mysłowice, Poland Win

Mateusz Piórkowski Submission (armbar) Abak Moto

Muchowiec, Poland Submission grappling record Result Marcin Najman Method Event Date Round Time