KSW booked Andi Vrtačić against ex-light heavyweight champion Rafal Haratyk at KSW 124 in Gliwice on Dec. 19, on the card with the Pawlak-Kuberski middleweight title fight.
From 2 reports by 2 outlets
What we know
- Vrtačić vs. Haratyk is booked for KSW 124 in Gliwice on Dec. 19, 2026.
- Pawel Pawlak and Piotr Kuberski fight for the undisputed KSW middleweight title on the same card.
- Haratyk lost the KSW light heavyweight title to Bartosz Leek this summer and returns to middleweight after almost four years.
Reported, not confirmed
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Vrtačić is ranked fifth in the KSW middleweight division.
Fight Site Croatia
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Vrtačić had asked KSW for an opponent from the top three: Pawlak, Kuberski or a rematch with Michalski.
Fight Site Croatia
Andi Vrtačić asked KSW for a top-three middleweight and got something different: a former champion from the division above. Rafal Haratyk, the "Polish Tank," is the biggest name the Polish promotion has put in front of the Croatian so far, and the fight opens a card topped by a middleweight title bout.
Vrtačić, who trains in Pula, is 10-3 and has finished his last three opponents. The latest was Sofiane Bouafia, stopped in the second round at Brave CF 108 in Pula in early September. In KSW he debuted in 2023 with a knockout of Mateusz Janur, lost only to Michal Michalski, then answered with a high-kick finish of Mateusz Gola and a first-round stoppage of Albert Odzimkowski.
After that win he told sporting director Wojslaw Rysiewski what he wanted: "I asked for a TOP 5 opponent and you didn't give me one. Now you have to give me someone from the TOP 3." He named Pawlak, Kuberski or a rematch with Michalski. KSW moved him up to fifth in the division, according to Fight Site Croatia, but booked Haratyk instead.
Haratyk is 21-6-2. He arrived in KSW in 2023 by stopping Croatia's Ivan Erslan late in round one, then won the KSW Epic tournament and the vacant light heavyweight title a few months later. He defended the belt before losing it to Bartosz Leek this summer. His last fight at 84 kilograms was in January 2023, when he chased the Ares FC title against Abdoul Abdouraguimov, led deep into round five and was caught in a leg lock with 25 seconds left.
The matchup is a test of size and experience against a rising finisher. Haratyk is used to five rounds and elite European opposition, while Vrtačić has the momentum and the ranking to gain from an upset. A win would be the best of his career and hard to ignore when KSW next sorts out the top of the division.
Watch how Haratyk looks back at middleweight. Pawlak and Kuberski fight for the undisputed title on the same night, so the winner between Vrtačić and Haratyk may be in line for what comes after it.
Vrtačić, who trains in Pula, is 10-3 and has finished his last three opponents. The latest was Sofiane Bouafia, stopped in the second round at Brave CF 108 in Pula in early September. In KSW he debuted in 2023 with a knockout of Mateusz Janur, lost only to Michal Michalski, then answered with a high-kick finish of Mateusz Gola and a first-round stoppage of Albert Odzimkowski.
After that win he told sporting director Wojslaw Rysiewski what he wanted: "I asked for a TOP 5 opponent and you didn't give me one. Now you have to give me someone from the TOP 3." He named Pawlak, Kuberski or a rematch with Michalski. KSW moved him up to fifth in the division, according to Fight Site Croatia, but booked Haratyk instead.
Haratyk is 21-6-2. He arrived in KSW in 2023 by stopping Croatia's Ivan Erslan late in round one, then won the KSW Epic tournament and the vacant light heavyweight title a few months later. He defended the belt before losing it to Bartosz Leek this summer. His last fight at 84 kilograms was in January 2023, when he chased the Ares FC title against Abdoul Abdouraguimov, led deep into round five and was caught in a leg lock with 25 seconds left.
The matchup is a test of size and experience against a rising finisher. Haratyk is used to five rounds and elite European opposition, while Vrtačić has the momentum and the ranking to gain from an upset. A win would be the best of his career and hard to ignore when KSW next sorts out the top of the division.
Watch how Haratyk looks back at middleweight. Pawlak and Kuberski fight for the undisputed title on the same night, so the winner between Vrtačić and Haratyk may be in line for what comes after it.
- Summary
- KSW booked Andi Vrtačić against ex-light heavyweight champion Rafal Haratyk at KSW 124 in Gliwice on Dec. 19, on the card with the Pawlak-Kuberski middleweight title fight.
- Key points (one per line)
- Andi Vrtačić fights Rafal Haratyk at KSW 124 in Gliwice on Dec. 19.
Haratyk drops back to middleweight after almost four years, having lost the light heavyweight belt to Bartosz Leek this summer.
Pawel Pawlak and Piotr Kuberski meet for the undisputed middleweight title on the same card.
- Also reported by (Name | URL per line)
- Fight Site Croatia | https://www.jutarnji.hr/sportske/fightsite/ostalo/andi-vrtacic-ima-novu-misiju-ksw-ga-je-upario-s-bivsim-prvakom-ceka-ga-poljski-tenk-15759945
InTheCage | https://inthecage.pl/rafal-haratyk-w-wadze-sredniej-z-mocnym-rywalem-na-gale-xtb-ksw-124/
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