Krzysztof Soszynski says psychedelics helping brain post-fighting career, hopes they’re ‘the future’

It’s nearly 10 years since Krzysztof Soszynski last fought, and he’s been using some alternative medicine to help his brain.

Later this year, it’ll be a full 10 years since [autotag]Krzysztof Soszynski[/autotag] last fought.

The Poland-born Canadian spent only a little more than eight years fighting, including his final three or so in the UFC. But over his career, he fought nearly 40 times. Of his 12 losses, six were by knockout.

Those KO numbers aren’t staggering compared to many of his contemporaries, but Soszynski thinks he left at just the right time. A few years after his final fight, he said he was having memory troubles that started after the bout, and that sealed the deal for him.

Soszynski stays busy now with the occasional acting role, as well as commentary duties in his native Poland for KSW. But when it comes to second-guessing his decision to retire, he said he’s comfortable with hanging the gloves up when he did.

“Don’t get me wrong – the knees are pretty bad, (but) the mind is very strong still,” Soszynski recently told MMA Junkie. “So I’m very happy – I don’t have any of these crazy symptoms that a lot of these (former fighters) are having. I have been working with a lot of doctors and people who are in that field to help me regenerate all the tissues and connective tissues with my brain. So I’m very happy with all the peptides and things like that that I’m taking, supplements and things like that.

“I’m not dealing with all of these major issues like some of these fighters. Plus, I feel like I left (fighting) at the right time. My brain told me stop fighting. My family told me it was time to stop fighting. And I said yes, it’s time to stop fighting. I’m very fortunate to stop at the right time and continue on living an amazing life. I’m 43 years old and I feel like … it’s Chapter 2 – a brand new journey, and I’m having a blast doing it.”

Soszynski also said he’s been experimenting with psychedelic substances, too, for their purported positive effect for some people who have experienced brain trauma.

According to many medical industry reports and studies, psychedelics like psilocybin mushrooms – “magic mushrooms” – and even LSD have shown positive effects on patients with brain trauma.

“I have been doing some self-(medication) – LSD micro-dosing, and micro-dosing some psilocybin mushrooms and things like that on a very, very small scale,” Soszynski said. “I’ve been doing that for quite a while. And to be honest, I just had my first ayahuasca experience, and all those things are absolutely amazing. They definitely make you see the world in a different way – very small, minuscule differences, but you feel happier, you feel more energized, you feel like you want to get up and do things.

“I feel normal and beautiful at the same time. It’s definitely the future … You hear a lot of studies of guys who have been in the military or have post-traumatic stress disorder, and those kinds of things are really helping.”

https://youtu.be/qVkySz3ixmg

Ex-UFC fighter Krzysztof Soszynski hoped to retire with KSW, happy to be commentating instead

Krzysztof Soszynski has recently embarked on a new chapter in his career as he gears up for his next commentary gig for KSW.

[autotag]Krzysztof Soszynski[/autotag] has recently embarked on a new chapter in his MMA career.

Soszynski, a former UFC fighter, has been immersed in various activities since announcing his retirement from competition in 2014. From acting to coaching to managing and now commentary, Soszynski is relishing his role as KSW’s new color commentator as he gears up for his next show on Saturday.

“(KSW CEO) Martin (Lewandowski) and I have been talking about doing things since retirement all the way back from UFC,” Soszynski told MMA Junkie. “I’ve always wanted to have my last fight in Poland, and we were talking once my retirement from the UFC happened, we were thinking about possibly doing one last fight, and unfortunately with the injuries and the stuff I sustained over my career, it just wasn’t able to happen.

“So I did a camp for KSW before, and over the last little while we’ve been talking about doing something and this opportunity came up, being one of the color commentators, and I jumped at the chance and we’re slowly getting there. I believe this is my fifth show now, and I’m getting better and better at this, I’m just having fun and enjoying the process.”

Soszynski joins Chris Hoekstra and Will Vanders on the commentary table and has enjoyed giving his insight as a former fighter. “The Ultimate Fighter 8” alum notched six wins during his career inside the UFC’s octagon, including notable finishes of Stephan Bonnar and Brian Stann.

But despite his vast experience in the cage, the man known as “The Polish Experiment” admits that commentary has been a learning process for him, as he slowly tries to re-familiarize himself with certain aspects of the game.

“I think it’s more of the technical terms of the moves and things like that,” Soszynski said. “I’m been away from the sport for such a long time – it’s been what, 10 years now things like that. I haven’t done anything like this in a very, very long time. Just getting adjusted with the technical terms for each position and things like that, but I’m very fortunate to be working with Will and Chris. Chris is the technical guy, I got Will as the energy guy, and I’m the guy who kind of gives you the inside scoop of what a fighter feels in terms of the situation, so we really work well together.”

Featuring a featherweight title fight between reigning champion Salahdine Parnasse (14-0-1) and challenger Daniel Torres (11-4), KSW 58 takes place Saturday in Lodz, Poland. The card streams at KSWTV.com.

To hear the full interview with Soszynski, check out the video below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVkySz3ixmg&feature=youtu.be