Breakout fighters for 2016: Karolina Kowalkiewicz
Not a whole lot of people even knew the name Karolina Kowalkiewicz before it popped up as part of the main card of the last of the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s network events of 2015.
After the Fox audience saw her impressive performance in a unanimous decision victory over Randa Markos, a whole lot of people started learning how to spell it.
If that win was any indication, the Polish strawweight could soon be a household name.
The undefeated fighter adds intrigue to the division, particularly because the 115-pound women’s champion Joanna Jedrezjczyk also hails from Poland.
So far, Kowalkiewicz has been immensely respectful of the champion. She even referred to her as “amazing” after defeating Markos.
Kowalkiewicz has the skills to make her way up the rankings.
The biggest challenge may be shaking off some of that admiration to generate interest in a potential all-Polish title bout.
That’s still a bit down the road. But she is in a good spot.
Kowalkiewicz is primed to make a huge jump this year and that makes her a perfect candidate for the CoveringTheCage.com list of potential breakout stars in 2016.
Contact reporter Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com or 702-224-5509. Follow him on Twitter: @adamilllvrj
