Tomasz "Giraffe" Narkun (born December 3, 1989) is a

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, w ...

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorp ...

currently competing for KSW. A professional MMA competitor since 2009, he is the former KSW Light Heavyweight Champion and has also competed for

M-1 Global M-1 Global (Mixfight-1) or MMA-1 (Mixed martial arts-1) is a mixed martial arts promotion based in St. Petersburg, Russia which organizes between 10 and 20 competitions per year. It hosted its first major show (rather than co-promoting with othe ...

, where he is the former Light Heavyweight Champion. He is currently ranked #3 in the KSW Light Heavyweight rankings.

Background

Weighing in at around , Narkun is considered small by North American standards for light heavyweights. He has, however, earned respect for his tactical and defensive capabilities. Gegard "Dreamcatcher" Mousasi, a regular training partner of Narkun, has said of Narkun: "Tactically and technically he has reached a very high level". Mousasi has also stated his belief that Narkun "is the future light heavyweight champion".

Career

Early career

Narkun made his professional MMA debut in 2009, winning via

armbar An armlock in grappling is a single or double joint lock that hyperextends, hyperflexes or hyperrotates the elbow joint or shoulder joint. An armlock that hyper-extends the arm is known as an armbar, and it includes the traditional armbar, pr ...

submission in the first round.

M-1 Global

In 2010 Narkun appeared for

at their Western Europe Selections Light Heavyweight Tournament in 2010. Narkun won his first two bouts with relative ease; submitting each opponent within a minute of the first round. In the Tournament Final in July, Narkun faced

Georgian Georgian may refer to: Common meanings * Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country) ** Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group ** Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians **Georgian scripts, three scrip ...

David Tkeshelashvili, winning again via first-round submission. This also awarded Narkun the M-1 Global Light Heavyweight Championship belt. Narkun next faced

Vyacheslav Vasilevsky Vyacheslav "Crushin Russian" Vasilevsky is a Russian mixed martial artist currently competing in the Middleweight division. A professional MMA competitor since 2008, Vasilevsky has fought for Bellator MMA, M-1 Global, and ...

in his first title defense on December 10, 2010. Narkun was handed his first professional loss via second-round TKO after Narkun's corner threw in the towel. At the weigh-ins for M-1 Challenge 28 in Russia, for his fight against Saparbek Safarov, both fighters ended up slapping each other. At first it appeared to be a joke, but when Safarov threw a right hook at Narkun, M-1 officials intervened. Safarov was disqualified from the event. Narkun fought only once in 2011; winning via first-round submission; this would be his last fight under the M-1 Global banner. After not returning to the cage until 2013, Narkun won his next three fights via submission before signing with KSW in his native

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

KSW

Narkun made his promotional debut against Brazilian veteran Charles Andrade at KSW 27 on May 17, 2014. He won via kneebar submission in the first round.

KSW Light Heavyweight Champion

Narkun returned to face Croatian Goran Reljic at KSW 29. Narkun was defeated via majority decision. In 2015, Narkun defeated Karol Celinski via first-round rear-naked choke before being given a rematch with Reljic, who had since defeated Attila Végh to become KSW Light Heavyweight Champion, at KSW 32. Narkun won via first-round knockout, becoming the KSW Light Heavyweight Champion. After defeating Reljic in their rematch for the belt, Narkun had his first title defense against Brazilian Cassio "Jacare" de Oliveira at KSW 34 in early 2016, and then defeated

Sokoudjou Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou Nkamhoua (; born April 18, 1984), mostly billed simply as Sokoudjou, is a Cameroonian professional mixed martial artist. A professional competitor since 2006, Sokoudjou is the former KSW Light Heavyweight Champion, and h ...

for his second defense in October of that year. For his third defense, Narkun defeated Marcin Wojicik via triangle choke with just a second left in the first round at KSW 39: Colosseum. At KSW 42, Narkun prepared for a non-title bout against

Mamed Khalidov Mamed Khalidov ( rus, Мамед Магомедович Халидов, Mamied Magomedowicz Chalidow, mɐˈmʲɛt maɣɔmʲɛdɔvʲit͡ʂ xɐˈlʲidəf; pl, Mamed Chalidow ; born 17 July 1980 in Grozny) is a Polish mixed martial artist of Chech ...

, the former KSW Middleweight Champion. The pair met at a Catchweight of 203 lbs. After getting knocked down twice in the first round, Narkun was able to regroup, he won via triangle choke submission in the third round; breaking Khalidov's 15-fight unbeaten streak. The pair met again at KSW 46 on December 1, 2018. Narkun won again, this time via unanimous decision after three rounds. Narkun next challenged KSW Heavyweight Champion and former UFC veteran

Phil De Fries Philip De Fries (born 21 April 1986) is a British mixed martial artist currently competing in the Heavyweight division of Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki. A professional competitor since 2009, De Fries has formerly competed for the UFC, Bellator, an ...

for his title at KSW 47 on March 23, 2019. Narkun lost via unanimous decision. Narkun next defended his Light Heavyweight Championship at KSW 50: London against Przemysław Mysiala, winning via

guillotine choke The guillotine choke, also known as Mae Hadaka Jime (前裸絞, "front naked choke"; compare to a rear naked choke) in judo, is a chokehold in martial arts applied from in front of the opponent, often on the ground but can also be done while stan ...

submission in the first round. Narkun faced Ivan Erslan at KSW 56: Polska vs. Chorwacja on November 14, 2020. He defended his title, winning the fight via second round submission. Narkun rematched

on April 24, 2021 at KSW 60: De Fries vs. Narkun 2 for the KSW Heavyweight Championship. The pair previously met on March 23, 2019 in the main event at KSW 47: The X-Warriors, where De Fries defeated Narkun by unanimous decision and defended his KSW heavyweight title. He lost the bout in the second round via ground and pound. Narkun faced Ibragim Chuzhigaev on January 15, 2022 at KSW 66: Ziółkowski vs. Mańkowski. Narkun lost via unanimous decision, ending his reign as the Light Heavyweight champion.

Post Title Reign

In his first appearance after losing the belt, Narkun faced Henrique da Silva on October 14, 2022 at KSW 75: Ruchała vs. Stasiak. After dominating on the ground in the first round, Narkun was knocked out via a front kick 28 seconds into the second round.

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki (English: ''Martial Arts Confrontation'') better known by its initials KSW, is widely considered to be the premiere mixed martial arts organization in Poland and one of the leading in Europe. History Martin Lewandowsk ...

** KSW Light Heavyweight Championship (One time) ***Five Successful Title Defenses **Fight of the Night (Two times) vs. Mamed Khalidov and Ibragim Chuzhigaev **Submission of the Night (One times) vs. Przemyslaw Mysiala (KSW 50) *European MMA **EUMMA Light Heavyweight Championship (One time) *

**2010 M-1 Global Western Europe Selection Tournament Winner *Super League of MMA **Fight of the Night (One time) **Submission of the Night (One time)

Grappling

* 2012: ADCC European Championship - 1st place in 99 kg category (

Ljubljana Ljubljana (also known by other historical names) is the capital and largest city of Slovenia. It is the country's cultural, educational, economic, political and administrative center. During antiquity, a Roman city called Emona stood in the ar ...

) * 2014: ADCC European Championship - 1st place in 99 kg category (

Sofia Sofia ( ; bg, София, Sofiya, ) is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain in the western parts of the country. The city is built west of the Iskar river, and ha ...

)

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 18–6 , Henrique da Silva , KO (front kick) , KSW 75: Ruchała vs. Stasiak , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:28 ,

Nowy Sącz Nowy Sącz (; hu, Újszandec; yi, Tzanz, צאַנז; sk, Nový Sonč; german: Neu-Sandez) is a city in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship of southern Poland. It is the district capital of Nowy Sącz County as a separate administrative unit. It has ...

, Poland , , - , Loss , align=center, 18–5 , Ibragim Chuzhigaev , Decision (unanimous) , KSW 66: Ziółkowski vs. Mańkowski , , align=center , 5 , align=center , 5:00 ,

Szczecin Szczecin (, , german: Stettin ; sv, Stettin ; Latin: ''Sedinum'' or ''Stetinum'') is the capital and largest city of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship in northwestern Poland. Located near the Baltic Sea and the German border, it is a major s ...

, Poland , , - , Loss , align=center, 18–4 ,

, TKO (punches) , KSW 60: De Fries vs. Narkun 2 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:37 ,

Łódź Łódź, also rendered in English as Lodz, is a city in central Poland and a former industrial centre. It is the capital of Łódź Voivodeship, and is located approximately south-west of Warsaw. The city's coat of arms is an example of canti ...

, Poland , , - , Win , align=center, 18–3 , Ivan Erslan , Submission (rear-naked choke) , KSW 56: Materla vs. Soldić , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:51 ,

, Poland , , - , - , Win , align=center, 17–3 , Przemysław Mysiala , Submission (guillotine choke) , KSW 50: London , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:03 ,

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, , - , - , Loss , align=center, 16–3 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , KSW 47: The X-Warriors , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, , - , - , Win , align=center, 16–2 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , KSW 46: Khalidov vs. Narkun 2 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Gliwice Gliwice (; german: Gleiwitz) is a city in Upper Silesia, in southern Poland. The city is located in the Silesian Highlands, on the Kłodnica river (a tributary of the Oder). It lies approximately 25 km west from Katowice, the regional cap ...

, Poland , , - , Win , align=center, 15–2 ,

, Submission (triangle choke) , KSW 42: Khalidov vs. Narkun , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 1:18 ,

, Poland , , - , Win , align=center, 14–2 , Marcin Wójcik , Submission (triangle choke) , KSW 39: Colosseum , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:59 ,

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...

, Poland , , - , - , Win , align=center, 13–2 ,

Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou Nkamhoua (; born April 18, 1984), mostly billed simply as Sokoudjou, is a Cameroonian professional mixed martial artist. A professional competitor since 2006, Sokoudjou is the former KSW Light Heavyweight Champion, and h ...

, TKO (punches) , KSW 36: Materla vs. Palhares , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:38 ,

Zielona Gora Zielona may refer to the following places: *Zielona, Lublin Voivodeship (east Poland) *Zielona, Gmina Gródek in Podlaskie Voivodeship (northeast Poland) *Zielona, Gmina Supraśl in Podlaskie Voivodeship (northeast Poland) *Zielona, Bochnia County i ...

, Poland , , - , Win , align=center, 12–2 , Cassio Barbosa de Oliveira , TKO (knee and punches) , KSW 34: New Order , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:46 ,

, , - , Win , align=center, 11–2 ,

Goran Reljic Goran may refer to: Ethnic groups * Gorane, or Goran, an ethnic group of northern Africa * Goran (Kurdish tribe), an ethnic group of the Middle East * Gorani (ethnic group), an ethnic group of the southeastern Europe Other uses * Göran, a Sw ...

, KO (punches) , KSW 32: Road to Wembley , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:55 ,

, , - , Win , align=center, 10–2 , Karol Celinski , Submission (rear-naked choke) , KSW 31: Materla vs. Drwal , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:17 ,

Gdańsk Gdańsk ( , also ; ; csb, Gduńsk;Stefan Ramułt, ''Słownik języka pomorskiego, czyli kaszubskiego'', Kraków 1893, Gdańsk 2003, ISBN 83-87408-64-6. , Johann Georg Theodor Grässe, ''Orbis latinus oder Verzeichniss der lateinischen Benen ...

, Poland , , - , Loss , align=center, 9–2 ,

, Decision (majority) , KSW 29: Reload , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Kraków Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 1596 ...

, Poland , , - , Win , align=center, 9–1 , Charles Andrade , Submission (kneebar) , KSW 27: Cage Time , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:02 ,

, Poland , , - , Win , align=center, 8–1 , Simon Carlsen , Submission (armbar) , EMMA 7: European MMA 7 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:30 ,

Aarhus Aarhus (, , ; officially spelled Århus from 1948 until 1 January 2011) is the second-largest city in Denmark and the seat of Aarhus Municipality. It is located on the eastern shore of Jutland in the Kattegat sea and approximately northwest ...

, Denmark , , - , Win , align=center, 7–1 , Michal Gutowski , Submission (rear-naked choke) , XCage: Extreme Cage 5 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:30 ,

Toruń )'' , image_skyline = , image_caption = , image_flag = POL Toruń flag.svg , image_shield = POL Toruń COA.svg , nickname = City of Angels, Gingerbread city, Copernicus Town , pushpin_map = Kuyavian-Pom ...

, Poland , , - , Win , align=center, 6–1 , Rafal Zawidzki , Submission (guillotine choke) , Super League Mixed Martial Arts , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:45 ,

, Poland , , - , Win , align=center, 5–1 , Shamil Tinagadjiev , Submission (triangle choke) , M-1 Challenge 23: Guram vs. Grishin , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:33 ,

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

, Russia , , - , Loss , align=center, 4–1 ,

, TKO (retirement) , M-1 Challenge 22: Narkun vs. Vasilevsky , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:20 ,

Moscow, Russia Moscow ( , American English, US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia. The city stands on t ...

, . , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , David Tkeshelashvili , Submission (rear-naked choke) , M-1 Selection 2010: Eastern Europe Finals , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:50 ,

, , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Timo Karttunen , Submission (triangle/armbar) , M-1 Selection 2010: Western Europe Round 3 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:49 ,

Helsinki, Finland Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the capital, primate, and most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of Uusimaa in southern Finland, and has a population of . The city' ...

, , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Olutobi Ayodeji Kalejaiye , Submission (rear-naked choke) , M-1 Selection 2010: Western Europe Round 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:52 ,

Weesp, Netherlands Weesp () is a city, an urban area in the municipality of Amsterdam and a former municipality in the province of North Holland, Netherlands. It had a population of in . It lies on the river Vecht and next to the Amsterdam–Rhine Canal in an ar ...

, , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Daniel Biskupic , Submission (armbar) , FCB 14: Fight Club Berlin 14 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, N/A ,

Berlin, Germany Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constituent ...

, ''Except where otherwise indicated, details provided in the record box are taken from

Sherdog Sherdog is an American website devoted to the sport of mixed martial arts (MMA). It also has many forums and discussion pages on the many topics of MMA like records, promotions, etc. The site is a member of the CraveOnline network and provides MM ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Narkun, Tomasz Living people 1989 births Polish male mixed martial artists Light heavyweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Polish practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu People awarded a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu Place of birth missing (living people)