5 Things You Might Not Know About Krzysztof Jotko

Krzysztof Jotko sees a new frontier in front of him.

The Polish grinder will make his Professional Fighters League debut as part of the 2023 light heavyweight field when he battles Will Fleury in a featured PFL 1 attraction on Saturday at The Theater at Virgin Hotels in Las Vegas. Jotko carries a 24-6 record and enters the cage with wins in five of his past seven outings. He last appeared at UFC Fight Night 211, where he submitted to a rear-naked choke from Brendan Allen in the first round of their Oct. 1 pairing.

As Jotko approaches his showdown with SBG Ireland’s Fleury at 205 pounds, here are five things you might not know about him:

1. Small-town Europe served as his stomping grounds.

Jotko was born on Aug. 19, 1989 in Orneta, Poland—a town of roughly 9,000 people situated some 40 miles southeast of the Baltic Sea. A part of Germany prior two World War 2, it was transferred to Poland at the behest of the Soviet Union as part of the Potsdam Conference in 1945.

2. He warranted immediate attention.

The 6-foot-1 Jotko made his professional mixed martial arts debut at the age of 20 and established himself as one of Europe’s top young talents by winning his first 14 bouts. His run included a successful first assignment in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, as he took a unanimous decision over Bruno Santos at UFC Fight Night 33 on Dec. 7, 2013.

3. He excelled at the highest level.

Jotko enjoyed a successful nine-year run in the UFC’s middleweight division, where he compiled an 11-6 record across his 17 appearances inside the Octagon. In fact, his .647 winning percentage in the company is higher than two men—Jack Hermansson (.625) and Kelvin Gastelum (.579)—currently ranked in the Top 15 at 185 pounds.

4. A proven pedigree bolsters his profile.

The 33-year-old Jotko operates out of the acclaimed American Top Team camp in Coconut Creek, Florida, where he trains under a host of world-class coaches, like Mike Thomas Brown and Thiago Alves, and sharpens his skills alongside a bevy of accomplished stablemates, including current Bellator MMA middleweight champion Johnny Eblen, former two-division Legacy Fighting Alliance titleholder Joshua Silveira and four-time NCAA All-American wrestler Bo Nickal.

5. Wanderlust does not figure to be an issue for him.

Jotko has fought in 10 different countries as a mixed martial artist. In addition to the 11 appearances he has made in his native Poland, he has competed in Germany, Australia, Sweden, Ireland, England, Canada, Brazil, Russia and the United States.