In mixed martial arts, the competition always finds a way to surprise us. Sometimes, it's with an unpredictable move or a submission that comes out of the left field. Other times, it's with the competitors themselves. In some cases, fighters can come from vastly different training backgrounds to find success in MMA. Take the case of Oscar Rivas and Lukasz Rozanski. These are two men who began their careers on different ends of the spectrum. Rivas is a wrestler, while Rozanski is a striker; the former trains at Ataque Elite — home to UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway — and started as an amateur boxer before transitioning into MMA; the latter spent many years as a professional kickboxer before moving on to mixed martial arts. Despite all these differences, each man found success by bringing something unexpected from their original training background into competition inside the cage.
Rivas' story starts with a decision to make a change. Growing up as a kid in the Inland Empire, he found himself getting into a lot of trouble. However, he knew he had a knack for sports, and he used that to get out of his bad habits. Eventually, Rivas decided to pursue a career in MMA, and his skills earned him a spot on the UFC roster. Rivas' entire MMA career has come from the ground up, but he's found success by focusing on his wrestling skills. In fact, every one of his three UFC wins has come through a takedown. Rivas' first fight in the UFC came against Sheymon Moraes, a black belt in BJJ, and had put together a 4-1 record up until that point. Moraes' grappling background was expected to give Rivas a challenge. Still, the latter's takedowns and top control proved too much for the Brazilian.
Rozanski's path to fighting in the UFC is an interesting one. A native of Poland, he's been fighting professionally since 2006. After a long career as a kickboxer, he finally competed in MMA in 2014. Transitioning from kickboxing to a sport like MMA can be difficult, as the former is more focused on kicks and the latter is more focused on grappling. Rozanski's transition was made all the more difficult because he started his MMA career with a record of 0-5. However, Rozanski's persistence and grit paid off, as he went on an eight-fight win streak before getting a call-up to the UFC.
Rivas and Rozanski may have fought in different styles. Still, they both benefited from the general knowledge of fighting and training in a mixed martial arts gym. Rivas' transition from amateur boxing to MMA was smooth, thanks partly to the fact that boxing is a skill set many MMA fighters have. Likewise, Rozanski's transition from kickboxing to MMA wasn't too difficult, as the two sports have a lot of similarities. However, both men decided to shift to MMA training due to their backgrounds.
The dream of Rivas of defending a major championship belt in his home nation is on hold right now. It has been confirmed that the planned WBC Bridgerweight championship defense against Lukasz Rozanski from Poland has been postponed. The match was supposed to occur in Cali, Colombia, a few days ago. But there have been some issues that are beyond the control of Groupe Yvon Michel Promotions. They are looking to move off the fight date with the hopes of rescheduling the match in a few months. The event would have been the first time the fighter has fought in his home nation since becoming a professional more than a decade ago. Before that, he had relocated to Montreal to represent Colombia at the Beijing Olympics. The fighter's desire was to get back to his home nation with a championship belt to defend. He got the newly developed WBC Bridgerweight championship belt in a great unanimous decision victory against Ryan Rozycki half a year ago in Canada. Groupe Yvon Michel Promotions was going to move forward in realizing its dream of Rivas. They put together a show that was also going to include the former champ Cecilia Braekhus from Colombia and Eleider Alvarez in their first-ever match in the nation.
Alvarez is based outside Canada, just like his rival in the match. He was going to go against Alex Theran in a cruiserweight match. The former WBO light heavyweight championship holder has not fought in a match since his knockout defeat against Joe Smith Jr. in their eliminator in Las Vegas a few years ago. The loss came more than a year after being defeated in a twelve-round decision loss to Sergey Kovalev. This was half a year after getting a great knockout to end Kovalev's second light heavyweight championship reign.
Rivas' career-long promoter Yvon Michel said, "Several logistics problems arose [with] our partners in Colombia. We are looking at different scenarios to find another date in Colombia to keep Oscar's dream to defend his WBC title in his native country. It will definitely be [resolved] shortly. I have already spoken to Andrew Wasilewski, the promoter of Rozanski. He understands the situation and is still on board supporting us. We also intend to keep the Berghult/Braekhus fight in the event and Hanna Gabriels." Rivas said, "I have three dreams I want to realize before the end of my boxing career. I want to establish myself as the best bridgerweight fighter, defend my title in Colombia, and become World Heavyweight Champion." Rozanski said, "I'm highly motivated and in the best shape of my life," Rozanski added. "I have what it takes to win this fight."
|
|
Oscar Rivas |
Lukasz Rozanski |
|
Country |
Colombia |
Poland |
|
Age |
35 years |
36 years |
|
Pro |
12 years |
6 years |
|
Height |
6′ 0½″ (184 cm) |
6′ 1″ (185 cm) |
|
Reach |
76½″ (194 cm) |
74″ (188 cm) |
|
Division |
bridgerweight |
bridgerweight |
|
Stance |
orthodox |
orthodox |
|
Titles |
WBC (bridgerweight) |
- |
|
Record |
28 - 1 - 0 |
14 - 0 - 0 |
|
KOs |
67% |
92% |
|
Inactive |
295 days |
440 days |
|
Division |
Fighter #1 |
Fighter #2 |
Notes |
|
bridgerweight (224 lbs) |
Oscar Rivas |
Lukasz Rozanski |
WBC World Bridgerweight |
|
super welterweight (154 lbs) |
Cecilia Braekhus |
Patricia Berghult |
WBC World Super Welterweight |
|
light heavyweight (175 lbs) |
Dieudonne Seyi |
Jose Miguel Torres |
|
|
cruiserweight (200 lbs) |
Eleider Alvarez |
Alex Theran |
|
|
heavyweight (200+ lbs) |
Hanna Gabriels |
Angie Paola Rocha |
WBA World Heavyweight |
|
middleweight (160 lbs) |
Patrice Volny |
Jhon Teheran |
|
|
heavyweight (200+ lbs) |
Alexis Barriere |
Maximiliano Sosa |
|
|
heavyweight (200+ lbs) |
Cristian Salcedo |
Raul Villarruel |
Conclusion
Rivas and Rozanski dabbled in other martial arts while they were on their way to becoming professionals. Still, they didn't fully commit to them until they started fighting MMA. These two fighters' decision to train in MMA helped them figure out what would work best for them, allowing them to fully commit to being mixed martial artists. Rivas and Rozanski both found success despite coming from different backgrounds and fighting in different styles. In fact, neither man's initial plan would have led to the type of success that he found. However, their decision to commit to training in MMA allowed them to discover what works for them and make the most of their fighting abilities in the Oscar Rivas vs. Lucasz Rozanski match. The fans of the sport should not miss this match at any cost.