Karolina Kowalkiewicz Says Losing Not an Option at UFC 205
Karolina Kowalkiewicz Says Losing Not an Option at UFC 205
UFC strawweight title challenger Karolina Kowalkiewicz says she will not lose her chance to become champion at UFC 205
With little over two weeks to go until UFC 205, the fighters on the card are winding down their training and now starting to get stuck into their media obligations as we get ever closer to the UFC's first ever event in Madison Square Garden.
One-half of the all-Polish UFC strawweight title fight, Karolina Kowalkiewicz, appeared on the Polish DDTV "Good Morning" TV program Wednesday and spoke about her upcoming showdown with champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk and what it meant to her to be fighting at such a big event.
"Yes, it is something amazing," Kowalkiewicz said. "It is the first time in history that this sort of thing is happening, not only is it a female fight, but it is two European fighters who will fight for the belt in the world's largest fighting organization, UFC. It will be a great event.
[instagram url="https://www.instagram.com/p/BMBYMHLASJ8/" hide_caption="0"]
"Asia [Joanna] at this point is the UFC champion, and I am in second place in the UFC ranking, so we are dominating the division."
Kowalkiewicz spoke about her plans for the remainder of her camp and said that she would be arriving early in New York to get used to the six-hour time difference from her base in Lodz, Poland.
"We fly early next week," Kowalkiewicz said. "I still don't know exactly when, but it will be around the 1st or 3rd of November. I want to arrive there a little early in order to acclimatize and feel good for the fight.
"The last two weeks of training are all about lightening the load. The workouts get lighter so your body has time to recover from all the heavy training. I focus on my speed more and then two or three days before a fight I don't do any further training."
When asked what it would be like fighting a fellow Pole and whether she would find that difficult, Kowalkiewicz reiterated what she has been saying for the last few months.
"This is only a sport," Kowalkiewicz said. "It is only a competition. I think most athletes carry only positive vibes. It's a job, what can I say."
The No. 1 contender then spoke about her preparation for the fight and how she was allowing her coaches to devise the plan to defeat her also unbeaten opponent.
"All the tactics and strategies are planned by my trainers," Kowalkiewicz said. "I leave it to them and trust them 100 percent. Of course, I also watch and analyze fights, but really I leave everything to my coaches.
[instagram url="https://www.instagram.com/p/BLO1dj0gvGr/" hide_caption="0"]
Like her coach, Luke Zaborowski, said last week, Kowalkiewicz also hinted there was a plan in place to dethrone the champion.
"You'll have to wait and see," Kowalkiewicz said. "I am not revealing my secrets."
While Kowalkiewicz will be looking forward to having a fair chunk of support from the local Polish population in New York, she then said that UFC 205 wouldn't be a family affair, and she preferred to not have the distractions of anxious family members.
"As from the very beginning one coach Luke Zaborowski is always with me," Kowalkiewicz said. "The rest of my corner, such as my second coach, Emil Grzelak will then arrive. A few friends from my training club are coming too so I will have some friends to support me.
[instagram url="https://www.instagram.com/p/BK4SvOwAZmJ/" hide_caption="0"]
"I don't like it when my relatives watch my fights so they are staying at home. They get very nervous and they worry, so it is better that they are not there.
"When I go to fight, I just want to focus only on fighting and not have to think about the fact that my relatives are somewhere out there in the crowd worrying about me, and I don't have the time to talk to them. That is the only reason."
Kowalkiewicz then talked about her plans about after the fight.
"If I win, I will come back to Poland and have a short vacation," Kowalkiewicz said. "I will then start training once more."
When asked what her plans would be if she lost, she gave an answer of a fighter only visualizing one scenario--taking the belt home.
"No, there's no such option, Kowalkiewicz said. There's no such option."
Don't miss breaking news, feature stories, event updates, and more. Sign up for the FloCombat mailing list today.
One-half of the all-Polish UFC strawweight title fight, Karolina Kowalkiewicz, appeared on the Polish DDTV "Good Morning" TV program Wednesday and spoke about her upcoming showdown with champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk and what it meant to her to be fighting at such a big event.
"Yes, it is something amazing," Kowalkiewicz said. "It is the first time in history that this sort of thing is happening, not only is it a female fight, but it is two European fighters who will fight for the belt in the world's largest fighting organization, UFC. It will be a great event.
[instagram url="https://www.instagram.com/p/BMBYMHLASJ8/" hide_caption="0"]
"Asia [Joanna] at this point is the UFC champion, and I am in second place in the UFC ranking, so we are dominating the division."
Winding down training
Kowalkiewicz spoke about her plans for the remainder of her camp and said that she would be arriving early in New York to get used to the six-hour time difference from her base in Lodz, Poland.
"We fly early next week," Kowalkiewicz said. "I still don't know exactly when, but it will be around the 1st or 3rd of November. I want to arrive there a little early in order to acclimatize and feel good for the fight.
"The last two weeks of training are all about lightening the load. The workouts get lighter so your body has time to recover from all the heavy training. I focus on my speed more and then two or three days before a fight I don't do any further training."
No hate, just about the belt
When asked what it would be like fighting a fellow Pole and whether she would find that difficult, Kowalkiewicz reiterated what she has been saying for the last few months.
"This is only a sport," Kowalkiewicz said. "It is only a competition. I think most athletes carry only positive vibes. It's a job, what can I say."
A secret plan
The No. 1 contender then spoke about her preparation for the fight and how she was allowing her coaches to devise the plan to defeat her also unbeaten opponent.
"All the tactics and strategies are planned by my trainers," Kowalkiewicz said. "I leave it to them and trust them 100 percent. Of course, I also watch and analyze fights, but really I leave everything to my coaches.
[instagram url="https://www.instagram.com/p/BLO1dj0gvGr/" hide_caption="0"]
Like her coach, Luke Zaborowski, said last week, Kowalkiewicz also hinted there was a plan in place to dethrone the champion.
"You'll have to wait and see," Kowalkiewicz said. "I am not revealing my secrets."
Fighting is not a family affair
While Kowalkiewicz will be looking forward to having a fair chunk of support from the local Polish population in New York, she then said that UFC 205 wouldn't be a family affair, and she preferred to not have the distractions of anxious family members.
"As from the very beginning one coach Luke Zaborowski is always with me," Kowalkiewicz said. "The rest of my corner, such as my second coach, Emil Grzelak will then arrive. A few friends from my training club are coming too so I will have some friends to support me.
[instagram url="https://www.instagram.com/p/BK4SvOwAZmJ/" hide_caption="0"]
"I don't like it when my relatives watch my fights so they are staying at home. They get very nervous and they worry, so it is better that they are not there.
"When I go to fight, I just want to focus only on fighting and not have to think about the fact that my relatives are somewhere out there in the crowd worrying about me, and I don't have the time to talk to them. That is the only reason."
Losing not an option
Kowalkiewicz then talked about her plans about after the fight.
"If I win, I will come back to Poland and have a short vacation," Kowalkiewicz said. "I will then start training once more."
When asked what her plans would be if she lost, she gave an answer of a fighter only visualizing one scenario--taking the belt home.
"No, there's no such option, Kowalkiewicz said. There's no such option."
FloCombat's hottest content, delivered to your inbox
Don't miss breaking news, feature stories, event updates, and more. Sign up for the FloCombat mailing list today.