Over the course of a 32-fight career as a professional boxer, Pawel Wolak earned a reputation for intense, entertaining action.
It appears that he'll be looking to deliver the same as he embarks on a career as a mixed martial artist.
Wolak, who retired from boxing last year following his loss to Delvin Rodriguez for the IBA Intercontinental light middleweight title, has signed with MMA manager Monte Cox and working towards his mixed martial arts debut.
A tweet from Wolak (@PawelWolak) on Thursday morning had the former New York State middleweight champion working out with Igor Gracie, and according to a report by Brent Brookhouse of BloodyElbow.com, he's also working with UFC middleweight Constantinos Philippou and lightweight Jim Miller. Wolak, who fought his last boxing match at 153.5 pounds, projects as a lightweight in MMA.
Wolak turns 31 in September, so it's certainly a bit late in the game for him to start his MMA career, but he does have a background as a high school wrestler in New Jersey, and he seems to be approaching his nascent MMA career with an understanding of what's involved.
Unlike James Toney, who treated his attempt at crossing over as a sideshow attraction, chasing after UFC President Dana White and showing up embarrassingly out of shape for his UFC 118 bout against Randy Couture, Wolak has declared that he won't rush his development, telling Sherdog, "I will get to the UFC when I am ready to make a statement in the lightweight division."
Given Wolak's seriousness and his world class boxing, there's no reason to believe that he can't make this work. Randy Couture was a couple of weeks shy of his 34th birthday when he made his MMA debut at UFC 13, while Daniel Cormier and Brock Lesnar both made their MMA debuts at 30. Of course, all three of those men were already elite wrestlers, and wrestling remains the "base of the pyramid" when it comes to mixed martial arts training. Still, Wolak's own wrestling experience combined with an elite boxing background should make for a formidable foundation on which to build.
Nothing is for sure, and the UFC's lightweight division is certainly well-stocked with talent. Still, a move like this is worth keeping an eye on.