Phil De Fries heads into KSW 117 with another title defense on the schedule, but his latest talk gave the bigger story: the long-reigning KSW heavyweight champion spoke in detail about the anxiety that shaped much of his life and career, while also laying out how he is preparing for Marcin Wójcik in Warsaw on April 18. De Fries vs. Wójcik as the heavyweight title fight in the co-main spot at XTB KSW 117 at COS Torwar, with De Fries entering for his 14th title defense.
Phil De Fries says “I’m going for the finish, first or second round” before KSW 117 title defense
This fight adds another chapter to one of the longest active title runs in European MMA. It is De Fries’ 14th title defense, and his reign has already become the longest in KSW history, along with the company record for heavyweight title defenses.
Wójcik is a live challenger, not a placeholder. He is moving into just his second fight at heavyweight after a December win over former UFC title challenger Augusto Sakai, a result that gave him momentum and added intrigue to this matchup.
De Fries made clear in your interview that he sees the danger. He called Wójcik “a knockout machine” and said camp shifted in response, with a focus on bringing in partners who matched “his body type and his attributes” instead of staying only with the familiar work he usually gets from Mick Parkin and Tom Aspinall.
“I think it’ll be a record that stands for a very long time, 10 years champion of a major organisation, especially at heavyweight where you make one wrong move and you could be flatlined… I’m going for the finish, first or second round.”
Wójcik spent much of his career at light heavyweight, where his movement and striking helped separate him from many opponents. De Fries, though, has handled almost every kind of challenge put in front of him during his KSW run, including a submission win over Arkadiusz Wrzosek in June 2025 and a decision victory over Augusto Sakai in June 2024.
Anxiety
De Fries spoke in detail about years of severe anxiety, describing repeated checks of doors and appliances, fear around everyday phone calls, and a point where normal life felt hard to manage. He said he eventually searched his symptoms online, saw a doctor, started medication, and after a few months felt the anxiety “just lifted.” He still takes the medication and believes that change lined up with a major improvement in both his life outside the cage and his performances inside it.
“Life wasn’t enjoyable to me. The doctor prescribed these pills and they said it’ll take three months to work, and in three months my anxiety just lifted. I honestly couldn’t believe how good normal felt. My win streak coincides with beating anxiety completely, so I am scared to come off them. When the anxiety lifted, I remember walking out and thinking, ‘This isn’t so bad. I can enjoy this moment a bit. I can enjoy the energy, the arena.’”
He explained that before treatment, he fought without real calm and felt he was reacting on instinct instead of actually learning from what was happening around him. Now he feels able to think in the cage, build real experience, and even enjoy parts of fight week and fight night. For a champion already deep into a historic reign, that is a notable point: he does not sound like someone who thinks his best years are behind him.
Wójcik brings speed, power, and a different look than many recent challengers. De Fries still enters as the man the division in KSW.
Watch KSW 117
Watch KSW 117 Here
KSW 117 takes place on April 18 at COS Torwar in Warsaw, Poland, with Adrian Bartosiński vs. Andrzej Grzebyk for the welterweight title set as the main event and Phil De Fries vs. Marcin Wójcik for the heavyweight title featured on the card as well. The event also includes key bouts such as Salahdine Parnasse vs. Marian Ziółkowski, Artur Szpilka vs. Errol Zimmerman, and a middleweight title fight between Paweł Pawlak and Mamed Khalidov, giving the lineup a mix of championship fights, established names, and crossover appeal.
