January 16, 2021 - Croatian mixed martial arts duo Francisco 'Croata' Barrio (7-2) and Daniel Bažant (5-1) have both been added to KSW 58, one of the leading mixed martial arts organizations in Europe, on January 30, 2021, in Lodz, Poland.
This will be Barrio's sophomore appearance in KSW after making his promotional debut last November in a hard-fought decision loss against undefeated star Mateusz Legierski. The ATT Zagreb fighter will face Bartłomiej Kopera (9-6) later this month, and it will take place in the lightweight division.
The 31-year-old was born in Argentina and is the son of Croatian Brigadier Rodolfo Barrio Saavedra, who was involved in the Croatian War of Independence. Barrio moved to Croatia in his youth, and it was in his homeland that he developed his love for martial arts and wrestling in particular. Upon returning to Argentina in his late teens, he began excelling in wrestling and had great success in the Pan American Championships & South American Games, and almost qualified for the 2012 London Olympics.
That same year, he transitioned to MMA and went on to fight in the FFC promotion in Croatia, amassing an impressive 7-1 record en route to joining KSW.
Pula's Daniel Bažant now also joins KSW and will make his debut this month. The 29-year-old is a student of Croatian MMA legend Zelg Galešić at the Trojan Free Fighters gym. He will be facing the undefeated Polish prospect Robert Ruchała (4-0) in the featherweight division.
KSW 58 will see Olympic gold medalist in weightlifting Szymon Kolecki (8-1) face German veteran Martin Zawada (29-15-1) in the main event, while undefeated French sensation Salahdine Parnasse (14-0-1) will defend his KSW featherweight title against exciting Brazilian Daniel Torres (11-4) in the co-main and it is available for Croatian fans on RTL (please check local listings).
You can follow more about KSW at KSWMMA.com
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