Unbeaten Polish standout Jakub Kaszuba is exactly where he wants to be right now.
Kaszuba (12-0), who won the 2023 lightweight season of Professional Fighters League Europe, is content in his training in Florida. Rather than moving to the global season of the tournament-based league, he returned to PFL Europe for the 2024 season, in hopes of snagging another $100,000 check. His campaign has gone well thus far, picking up a decision victory over Kane Mousah in March. The 29-year-old will stand across from the cage with Daniele Scatizzi in the semifinals in Glasgow, Scotland, on Sept. 28.
Starting his career at 12-0, he knows that he is just now entering his prime as an athlete, so he focuses on his daily training. Using his circle of coaches that includes his wife, Kaszuba absorbs everything he is taught like a sponge. Speaking to Sherdog.com ahead of his semifinal pairing, Kaszuba discussed the patience in which he’s used in his career, why he returned to PFL Europe and how he represents Polish MMA.
“I just focus on my every day training, being consistent,” Kaszuba stated. “One of my favorite quotes is about being consistently average. That’s all I think about, it’s very short-term. I have coaches for everything, my wife is my strength and nutrition coach which is nice, I have a striking coach, I’ve got a wrestling/jiu-jitsu coach, and they really help me keep myself accountable and consistent. They give me different points of views and then it’s up to me to evaluate myself, the truth lies somewhere in the middle.”
After winning PFL Europe in 2023, Kaszuba sat back and watched the merger between parent company PFL and Bellator MMA, unsure of where his place in the organization would be. Not at all upset at the chance to cash another six-figure check by winning three fights in a year, the native of Olsztyn, Poland, expressed that it all worked out in the end.
“I didn’t really have a choice because PFL went into the merger with Bellator, and they were bringing Bellator guys into the season,” he admitted. “Then they decided to keep me in PFL Europe, which I was okay with because I think if I would’ve had a chance to choose, I would’ve chosen to stay. I want more time for preparation and to get better. I want more fights on my level. But after this fight, I’ll be ready for anything that comes my way.”
As his pro career graduated from the confines of the Florida-based Combat Night promotion, he found himself competing further away from his team at Gracie Barra Jacksonville. Back in front of fans in his home continent, Kaszuba grew while representing his nation of Poland in a major organization.
“It was an honor to win it, I was finally able to relish in all this glory after my fight in Paris [at PFL Europe 1 in 2024] since I had time off, I got to appreciate what I did. It was nice to get more exposure in Poland for the first time, I won the Polish Best Discovery of MMA award. I’m getting recognized in Poland, slowly, not a lot, but I’m getting there. That’s the point, I’m going to go to PFL global and win $1 million, then represent Poland in that way,” Kaszuba said confidently.
Standing in his way of another potential PFL Europe title is Italy’s Scatizzi, a Bellator veteran who won his lone PFL Europe encounter earlier this year. Knowing the aggressiveness of his opponent, Kaszuba believes that cardio may be the biggest factor in their PFL Europe 3 collision.
“He’s a very ruthless guy, he comes forward,” the Polish fighter noted. “It’s going to come down to whoever gets tired first, whoever drops their hands. It’s that simple. It’s going to be a good fight, it’s going to be a hell of a fight, it’s probably one of the best matchups on the card. It’s going to be fun.”
A win over Scatizzi places Kaszuba back in another championship bout, and he believe that he has the tools and the talent to take advantage of this second opportunity to secure another PFL Europe crown.
“Consistency and strength,” he identified. “I’m very consistent, I got good conditioning, I’m healthy, I’m out here to bang. I’ll be the most consistent fighter they’ve ever seen that can fight four times a year and look great. It’s making of a future legend I would say.”
