UFC 102: Krzysztof Soszynski replaces injured Matt Hamill against Brandon Vera on Aug. 29

by Jesse Holland on Jul 20, 2009 4:29 PM EDT

Krzysztof Soszynski has been tapped to face Brandon Vera in a light heavyweight bout at UFC 102 from the Rose Garden in Portland, Oregon, after a knee injury has forced Matt Hamill to withdraw from the upcoming event on August 29, according to Sherdog.com.

The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 8 semifinalist is no stranger to last minute call-ups. Soszynski replaced an injured Houston Alexander against Andre Gusmao at UFC 98 back on May 23, knocking out the IFL vet in the first round.

"The Polish Experiment" made his homecoming at UFC 97 from the Bell Centre in Montreal, Canada, on April 18, defeating former WEC 205-pound champion Brian "All American" Stann via first round submission — his third straight finish by Kimura.

Soszynski (18-8-1) trains under Dan Henderson in Temecula, Calif., along with training partner Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou. He has a strong wrestling base, powerful strikes and solid submission skills to boot.

Vera (10-3) is a former heavyweight fighter who was considered a possible title contender until sustaining back-to-back losses to Tim Sylvia and Fabricio Werdum. He recently beat Mike Patt into submission with leg kicks to score a second round technical knockout at UFC 96: "Jackson vs. Jardine" earlier this year.

It was the second win in three attempts for "The Truth" at 205 pounds -– he has a unanimous decision win over Reese Andy at UFC Fight Night 14 and lackluster split decision loss to Keith Jardine at UFC 89: "Bisping vs. Leben" to his credit.

Vera has re-dedicated himself to training and vows to do nothing but kick people’s asses from this point forward to re-establish himself as a top fighter in 2009. He’s off to a good start; however, he’ll have to figure out a way to keep that momentum going against the surging Soszynski.

UFC 102 will feature a main event between Randy "The Natural" Couture (16-9) locking horns with Antonio Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira (31-5-1) in a dream match-up that most fans expected to see before Brock Lesnar and Frank Mir played spoiler roles in the opening round of the mini heavyweight tournament created in late 2008 to crown an undisputed division champion.

Also slated for the main card is perennial light heavyweight contender Keith Jardine (14-5-1) who has been tapped to replace Forrest Griffin in a 205-pound slugfest against hard-hitting Brazilian import Thiago Silva (13-1).

To check out the latest UFC 102 fight card and rumors click here .

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Comments

yessss I love this…I hope Vera gets smashed

by hardknocks on Jul 20, 2009 4:31 PM EDT reply actions

I dunno.. this is good either way. I like both fighters. Good matchup Joe!

by Sp00ner1234 on Jul 20, 2009 4:36 PM EDT up reply actions

considering that vera is a little pu**y the polish exp might really get this one which will be huge!

by shamo84 on Jul 20, 2009 4:54 PM EDT up reply actions

hes a pussy?

by JG on Jul 20, 2009 4:59 PM EDT up reply actions

Yeah I disagree. Vera is a good fighter. His muay thai is great and he is bigger so he doesn’t get pushed around. His loss to Werdum was crap and so was his loss to ManBear-ia. He broke his hand…

by Sp00ner1234 on Jul 20, 2009 5:03 PM EDT up reply actions

vera will beat him no problem

by roy on Jul 20, 2009 5:55 PM EDT up reply actions

Vera is going to light kristoph up! This wont even be close, but I do like Kristoph. I just think Vera is too much, to soon!

by JOhn G on Jul 20, 2009 6:53 PM EDT up reply actions

Vera has got this. I do wish they would have given him more of a challenge. Vera has a lot to prove still and should only be fighting at the top of the food chain.

by DSmith on Jul 20, 2009 7:07 PM EDT up reply actions

Agreed Queen M, your Eminence. ;-)

This would have been a perfect fight for an unbooked Luiz Cane – especially since he is not, as was previously rumored, fighting Franklin at 103.

Cane and Vera would be a Muay Thai war and would produce a new top-10 fighter in the LHW division.

by Jeremyjackson on Jul 20, 2009 7:23 PM EDT up reply actions

Well said JJ,they probably thought of feeding Vera with a lesser opponent and keeping the Cane/Vera in the bank to establish later (i’m thinking at the TUF 10 finale)who will be the next top dog for the title contention!

by Alpha Male 360 on Jul 20, 2009 7:36 PM EDT up reply actions

roy have you even seen Kris fight? this guy live sleeps and eats octagon.. vera is in BIG trouble..
he beat brain stann easy and stann was a WEC champion..
Kris by Americana! 1st round

by mikeybear on Jul 21, 2009 9:17 AM EDT up reply actions

ROY HWAT!!
roy have you even seen Kris fight? this guy live sleeps and eats octagon.. vera is in BIG trouble..
he beat brain stann easy and stann was a WEC champion..
Kris by Americana! 1st round

by mikeybear on Jul 21, 2009 9:18 AM EDT up reply actions

I dunno.. this is good either way. I like both fighters. Good matchup Joe!

by Sp00ner1234 on Jul 20, 2009 4:36 PM EDT up reply actions

I didn’t post twice I swear.

by Sp00ner1234 on Jul 20, 2009 4:38 PM EDT up reply actions

Yeah whatever liar, the proof is in the pudding!! lol

by Dragon on Jul 20, 2009 4:47 PM EDT up reply actions

Mmmmmmmm…Pudding!!!

by neeko on Jul 20, 2009 4:55 PM EDT up reply actions

Snack pack bitches!

by Sp00ner1234 on Jul 20, 2009 5:01 PM EDT up reply actions

Hey you wanna trade that snack pack for this banana?

by Dragon on Jul 20, 2009 5:16 PM EDT up reply actions

mortal combat for sega genesis is the best game ever..

by guyverbob on Jul 20, 2009 5:38 PM EDT up reply actions

Keep it in your pants Dragon.

by James S on Jul 20, 2009 5:38 PM EDT up reply actions

i disagree although mortal combat is a good game i think donkey kong is the best game ever!!….DONKEY KONG SUCKS!!, you know something…YOU SUCK!!! – priceless stuff from a great movie lol

by "I came, I saw, I conquered" - "Veni, Vidi, Vici" on Jul 20, 2009 9:53 PM EDT up reply actions

What movie?

by Syd[a.k.a."The Negation"] on Jul 20, 2009 10:46 PM EDT up reply actions

billy maddison

by ppwwpp on Jul 20, 2009 11:05 PM EDT up reply actions

Hey Dragon, I’m not accepting until you tell me what banana you are speakin about!

by neeko on Jul 21, 2009 8:04 AM EDT up reply actions

TERRIBLE NEWS: Rich Franklin vs Dan Henderson II will headline UFC 103.. WTF

by RyanHobbs on Jul 20, 2009 6:08 PM EDT up reply actions

2 of the best all time fighting again!!!! What is the UFC thinking?

by Robert(1) on Jul 20, 2009 7:19 PM EDT up reply actions

They’re thinking of mother Earth. They’re recycling fights!

by Syd[a.k.a."The Negation"] on Jul 20, 2009 10:47 PM EDT up reply actions

What? Please don’t let this be true. Is this true? WHY? Rich Franklin isn’t even Middleweight anymore PLUS Dan already beat him. WTF. Does anyone want to see them fight again more than seeing them fight some other top competition in their own weight classes? So what if some people think Rich’s loss was controvertial, it doesn’t even affect him anymore since he’s climbing the LHW ladder now. There are a TON of guys he could be fighting there… Dan Henderson???? NOOOOOOOO. I would much rather see Henderson vs winner of Marquart/Maia and Franklin vs Jardine/Jones/Griffin/Alexander a half dozen other guys.

This is crap.

by Chalkbot on Jul 20, 2009 7:27 PM EDT up reply actions

I agree. Winner of Marquart/Maia should get a shot at Silva though, not Henderson… Hendo should fight Okami… knock his ass the hell out and then I don’t have to waste $44.99 of my precious money to watch Silva vs. Okami.

Hendo vs Cote would also be an interesting matchup.

Franklin vs Griffin would be siick! Jones would own Franklin, Alexander has a puncher’s chance but my betting money has Alexander sleeping in the second round. And Jardine… the only impressive fight I’ve ever seen him in was his fight with Forrest.

by ironfist_55 on Jul 20, 2009 10:03 PM EDT up reply actions

I think Hammill’s chance of winning was better than Soszynski’. Vera looked to be back in good form in his last fight even though he was fighting a nobody…..The only way Vera loses this one is if he gets cought.

by allamerican on Jul 21, 2009 6:01 AM EDT up reply actions

That sounds like a much more interesting matchup. ‘yaknow?’

by Andrew on Jul 20, 2009 4:32 PM EDT reply actions

there can be only one…

by Andrew on Jul 20, 2009 5:26 PM EDT up reply actions

Wow Joe Silva must love this guy. He keeps stepping in for injured fighters. This is a great step up in competition for him. I can’t help but want Vera to win this though. He has been losing way too often.

by RyanHobbs on Jul 20, 2009 4:35 PM EDT reply actions

Ya this is really a big jump in competition for Krsztof. I’ll be cheering for him, something about Vera has always rubbed me the wrong way.

by WB on Jul 20, 2009 4:39 PM EDT up reply actions

I definitely like this guy more than Vera but when Vera was doing better in the UFC, his fights were pretty exciting so I would like to see him back in form and doing well.

by RyanHobbs on Jul 20, 2009 4:40 PM EDT up reply actions

Poland needs to invent vowels and start using them in their damned names. Like, are those two Zs really necessary? Can anyone, in any language, enunciate a fucking ‘Z’ sound when it’s sandwiched between an S and a T? Kind of pisses me off for some reason.

That said, Vera completely destroys what’s-his-fuck. Krzyzstof stands and bangs and gives his oponent a lot to hit. Vera is faster and way more skilled a striker, and his kicks will wear this dude down until he eats one too many.

by Jeremyjackson on Jul 20, 2009 5:03 PM EDT up reply actions

yep…kicks and knees to the head while he flails around searching for his standing kimura

by McArthur on Jul 20, 2009 5:18 PM EDT up reply actions

lol!

by Alpha Male 360 on Jul 20, 2009 5:22 PM EDT up reply actions

i see vera having not too much trouble if he can avoid a good punch he should do just fine against kryzzzzzzz!!

by sarah on Jul 20, 2009 5:25 PM EDT up reply actions

Vera has elite level skills, but since his move to LHT he has never looked very strong physically. If he can improve his strength, he could be a factor in the division.

by CL on Jul 20, 2009 6:04 PM EDT up reply actions

vera is better on his feet and on the ground, vera is gonna start whooping some ass and will be a contender.

by Blazy J on Jul 20, 2009 6:14 PM EDT up reply actions

Vera is already a factor. He’s just not makin’ one of himself, LOL…That said, Vera via punishment! I know he can dish out everything in his arsenal, he’s just too timid to do it…Once he gets a worthy opponent, then it’s New Year’s fireworks time!

by Syd[a.k.a."The Negation"] on Jul 21, 2009 1:20 AM EDT up reply actions

Was he not rough enough or too rough the way he rubbed you WB?? lol jk dude

by Dragon on Jul 20, 2009 5:18 PM EDT up reply actions

i was looking forward to the Hamill matchup more

vera is gonna win this on his feet.
he was gonna lose to hamill in a war

by aj on Jul 20, 2009 4:42 PM EDT reply actions

I want Vera to crush SodaPopinski and get back to kicking the crap out of people.

by PW on Jul 20, 2009 4:46 PM EDT reply actions

Word to that… People may not always like him, but when he is on Vera is fun to watch.

by BNF on Jul 20, 2009 4:49 PM EDT up reply actions

That’s the TRUTH!!!

by Shadyone33 on Jul 20, 2009 6:28 PM EDT up reply actions

I raise you guys a word to yo mutha!
Yeah if Vera can get back to his super aggressive style like when he was knocking out heavyweights it should be fun. Like when he K.Od Mir with that head kick…..sweet!

by MMAFAN204 on Jul 21, 2009 9:57 AM EDT up reply actions

Double word. WAR VERA!

by Ground-Game on Jul 20, 2009 4:52 PM EDT up reply actions

I liked the revenge aspect of the Hamill fight, but this is a good fight for Vera to continue to get back on track.

by BNF on Jul 20, 2009 4:47 PM EDT reply actions

Love this matchup! Fan of Vera but I gotta go with my fellow Canuck on this one. Just because…

by neeko on Jul 20, 2009 4:55 PM EDT reply actions

Shame Hamill’s injured, I was looking forward to seeing him face Vera as one of my least favourite LHWs would have been sent back to obscurity and this replacement doesn’t excite me at all. Not a big fan of either guy to be honest, Vera’s constant excuses for losing really rubbed me the wrong way and since beating Mir he hasn’t lived up to the hype.

Full credit to Krzystzof for taking fights on short notice but he got on my nerves on TUF 8 with his immature pranking and disrespect towards Big Nog when he told him to stop, plus I don’t think he’s that well rounded a fighter as his only submissions seem to be against guys with no BJJ like Kingsbury and Stann, if he’s on the ground with anyone decent then he gets submitted.

102 is still going to be an awesome card, Couture-Big Nog and Maia-Marquardt are fights that I have looked forward to for a long time, but Hamill-Vera is a blow to what looked to be one of the most stacked cards of the year.

by David W-S on Jul 20, 2009 5:01 PM EDT reply actions

This is A FUCKING AWESOME FIGHT GO KRSYTOFV!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! honetly vera is gunna lose this one the polish experiment is reminds me of bas!!!11

by Colin D on Jul 20, 2009 5:03 PM EDT reply actions

I used to go to school with Krystoff! Bwahaha oh man – i remember after highschool i met up with him one time in the gym “called it teh gritty grotto” and the dude was squatting what looked like to be 10×45lb plates

i coulda swore he told me he was in education and switched from University of Winnipeg to University of Manitoba after a couple years

anwyays great guy – he sat next to me in math and geography class hahaha

by Jerrolds on Jul 20, 2009 5:22 PM EDT reply actions

Woah!What a story bra!Hope for you that you mean 5 plates on each side,b/c your fantasy would seems implausible!

by Alpha Male 360 on Jul 20, 2009 5:39 PM EDT up reply actions

i go to the u of m wow i cant believe krystoff worked out there! He used to be a heavyweight so when you saw him he was probably huge!

by Colin D on Jul 20, 2009 6:13 PM EDT up reply actions

Krysztof takes it by terrible practical joke

by Paul on Jul 20, 2009 5:30 PM EDT reply actions

LOL.

Second round TKO due to itching powder in Polak’s gloves and urine in his water bottle.

by Jeremyjackson on Jul 20, 2009 5:31 PM EDT up reply actions

Is it true UFC 103 headline is Franklin Henderson II?

by Woody on Jul 20, 2009 5:34 PM EDT reply actions

That’s a negative.

by Jeremyjackson on Jul 20, 2009 5:37 PM EDT up reply actions

No, its true, its on ufc.com

by nick on Jul 20, 2009 5:40 PM EDT up reply actions

Wow, well slap me sideways. Guess that answers the question of whether Dan gets a crack at Silva again. Nope. Franklin takes the rematch the way he was taking the third round in their first fight.

by Jeremyjackson on Jul 20, 2009 5:45 PM EDT up reply actions

Yep it’s true,but I don’t understand Dan’s management on this rematch.

by Alpha Male 360 on Jul 20, 2009 5:47 PM EDT up reply actions

wow thats really lame. after this one hendo-franklin 3 will headline ufc 113. big letdown of a main event, hendo won the last fight 29/28 and hes going to win this one too

by Jared on Jul 20, 2009 5:48 PM EDT up reply actions

Agree Jared!

by Alpha Male 360 on Jul 20, 2009 5:49 PM EDT up reply actions

terrible match up, there were so many more options for both of these guys…and it sucks that they have Hendo and Rich jumping up and down in weight…last time they fought at 205, right? or was it a catch weight? I cant remember, but anyways, terrible fight. 103 sucks, other than the fact that we’ll know you will get crushed by GSP next

by Mascarita on Jul 20, 2009 6:15 PM EDT up reply actions

Joe Silva is running out of tricks to pull off of his sleeve…

by Syd[a.k.a."The Negation"] on Jul 21, 2009 1:27 AM EDT up reply actions

No absolutely not. Neither of those two would take that fight. However, I did enjoy hearing the Tito rumor.

by Sp00ner1234 on Jul 20, 2009 5:43 PM EDT up reply actions

http://www.ufc.com/index.cfm?fa=news.detail&gid=21299

by Woody on Jul 20, 2009 5:53 PM EDT up reply actions

No it is true it is the first story on ufc.com

by Woody on Jul 20, 2009 6:00 PM EDT up reply actions

damn soszynski is makin a name for himself ufc 97,98,102

by the man on Jul 20, 2009 5:38 PM EDT reply actions

Vera can take a punch and is great on the ground so I think he’ll get the W via UD or tko. Funny no mention of the real main event that night. Maia v. marquardt

by naturalist on Jul 20, 2009 5:51 PM EDT reply actions

I agree shame on Jesse for ignoring Maia-Nate, that fight will steal the show guaranteed. This is going to be Demian’s coming out party.

by David W-S on Jul 20, 2009 7:30 PM EDT up reply actions

Keep dreaming WideScreen!Nate will be too much for Maia!

by Alpha Male 360 on Jul 20, 2009 7:41 PM EDT up reply actions

hell fuckin yeah! nate the great will keep the fight standing and brutalize maia for a tko win

by Jared on Jul 20, 2009 9:39 PM EDT up reply actions

I don’t think so, MAIA via rubber guard submission!!!

by Syd[a.k.a."The Negation"] on Jul 21, 2009 1:28 AM EDT up reply actions

If vera fights like last fight, no way he loses.
He looked vicious and focused, krystoff I doubt can take him down, vera by tko

by phenomenal angel on Jul 20, 2009 6:00 PM EDT reply actions

this fight will be way better to watch then vera vs hamill. should be a tough fight for both guys!

by bullsh*t on Jul 20, 2009 6:06 PM EDT reply actions

Wtf Franklin vs Hendo II? I love both fighters, but making them fight again does nothing in the way of progression for eithers career.

by Miketsi on Jul 20, 2009 6:08 PM EDT reply actions

i dont see the polish experiment having better stand up or being able to submit vera…..vera will out point him if not tko

by wm133 on Jul 20, 2009 6:15 PM EDT reply actions

Great now if Vera gets hurt and replaced this fight will be worth watching.

by Spyder on Jul 20, 2009 6:23 PM EDT reply actions

I hate Vera.

Gonna be great to see Krysztof smash him.

by Lester The Pimp on Jul 20, 2009 6:49 PM EDT reply actions

1. Vera’s not back on track… yet. His last opponent was a can. He’ll need to show a lot more to even begin to live up to his old hype.

2. This will definitely be Soszynski’s toughest fight since he dropped down to 205, and I don’t especially like his chances, but if Keith Jardine can beat Vera, than Krzysztof definitely has a shot. Anyone who thinks this ought to be easy for Vera must still be stuck in 2006, back before he lost 3 out of his last 5 fights.

3. In Polish, “sz” is like an English “sh”, “cz” is like an English “ch” and “rz” doesn’t have an exact equivalent but it’s along the same lines. Wait, what’s up with all those extra consonants in English? OMGWTFBBQ!

by MattNY on Jul 20, 2009 7:28 PM EDT reply actions

That’s actually my favorite kind of BBQ.

by PW on Jul 20, 2009 10:17 PM EDT up reply actions

Thanks for the free education[that we don’t really need, f**k school

by Syd[a.k.a."The Negation"] on Jul 21, 2009 1:31 AM EDT up reply actions

Actually, scientific studies have shown that mentally sub-par and/or ignorant people lack the abilities necessary to realize what they’re lacking, or to accurately judge their own performance.

With that in mind, it’s only with your best interests at heart that I tell you that you do need the education. Sorry.

by MattNY on Jul 21, 2009 9:35 AM EDT up reply actions

Vera has a better chance of beating Krzyzstof than Hamill .. a lucky break for him.. Polish experiment is still a bit raw .. this will give Vera another warm up fight to get back on the winning track.

by commoner on Jul 21, 2009 12:34 AM EDT reply actions