Phil De Fries Sees Himself Putting Szymon Bajor Away in Two Rounds at KSW 84

Philip De Fries has relentlessly worked to become more than a submission artist, and his recent technical-knockout victories prove it. De Fries (23-6, 1 NC; 9-0 KSW) will attempt to stretch his 11-bout winning streak and take home his ninth Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki title defense as he takes on Professional Fighters League alum Szymon Bajor in the KSW 84 headliner on July 15. Ahead of his next assignment, De Fries mentioned feeling great and being in the best shape of his life. In the past few years, the Ultimate Fighting Championship vet has improved his game by focusing more on his strikes. The strategy paid off, as four out of his latest five wins have come by TKO, including a first-round stoppage over long-term rival and fellow UFC alum Todd Duffee in their KSW 79 rematch. De Fries is now confident he won’t need more than two rounds to stop Bajor.

“Honestly, I think Simon's great. He's a great guy. He's a great fighter, but I am an absolute killer at the moment. I'm having enormous success on the mats. I'm learning so much. I honestly feel I'm gonna get him in two rounds. I say that every time I fight. I said I'm gonna get ‘em in two rounds, and I'll be getting ‘em in one round lately, but I don't wanna be a bighead. I'm just too big. I'm too technically proficient and fit that people that can't take the pressure for that long. I give such an awful first round. You get these first-rounders, and you're being squished and knocked. You’ll be going back to your corner, and you think, ‘This is really, really clap.’”

(00:00) Intro
(01:13) Training with Tom Aspinall
(01:41) Putting on a heavyweight gym in England
(02:16) Always looking to improve
(03:03) Preparing for Bajor
(03:58) Defeating Duffee
(04:58) Aiming to finish Bajor in two rounds
(05:57) Enjoying KSW 83, a.k.a. KSW Colosseum 2
(06:32) Talking with Alistair Overeem
(07:21) Commenting on Overeem’s appearance
(07:47) Putting on a show for the fans
(08:19) Watching The Witcher and playing Zelda during fight week
(08:59) Outro