Who played Ken Dietrich in Here Comes the Boom? All about top UFC fighter who starred in the movie

Here Comes the Boom is regarded as one of the most well-known MMA movies put forth by Hollywood, in which James takes on a formidable antagonist named Ken Dietrich. Apart from Kevin James, the movie featured reputable actors such as Hollywood megastars Salma Hayek and Henry Winkler.

The 2012 movie also featured several MMA personalities, such as UFC color commentator Joe Rogan, MMA legend Bas Rutten, UFC announcer Bruce Buffer, and Chael Sonnen.

Among the biggest hurdles that Kevin James faces, as the protagonist in Here Comes the Boom, is fearsome antagonist Ken Dietrich. The role of Ken Dietrich was essayed by an actual UFC fighter, whose real name is Krzysztof Soszynski. The Polish-Canadian MMA fighter played the role of James' opponent in their fictional MMA bout in the UFC, with their showdown serving as one of the movie's highlights.

Ken Dietrich (real name: Krzysztof Soszynski) made his professional MMA debut in September 2003. He's fought in multiple top-tier MMA promotions, including Strikeforce and the UFC. Soszynski featured on season eight of the UFC's TUF (The Ultimate Fighter) reality show and competed in several fights in the UFC from December 2008 until the end of his MMA career.

After his first-round KO defeat against Igor Pokrajac at UFC 140 in December 2011, Soszynski suffered memory problems. He announced his MMA retirement in August 2014.

The 46-year-old later worked as a color commentator for the Polish MMA organization KSW. He's served as a coach at UFC Gym Torrance, besides working as the Director of MMA and Fitness at UFC Gym Middle East.

Moreover, Soszynski has worked as a stunt double in Hollywood movies. Apart from his best-known role as Ken Dietrich in Here Comes the Boom (2012), Soszynski has worked in other movies such as Tapped Out (2014) and Logan (2017).

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When Krzysztof Soszynski, aka Ken Dietrich, addressed his transition from MMA to cinema

Speaking to MMA H.E.A.T.'s Karyn Bryant in July 2012, Krzysztof Soszynski suggested that he'd have loved to continue his MMA career, but his body was signaling him to stop. 'The Polish Experiment' amassed a professional MMA record of 26 victories, 12 defeats, and 1 draw. Alluding to his lengthy career, he emphasized that he was dealing with injury and memory issues.

Krzysztof Soszynski explained that it was his body that was telling him to find an alternative career path. The former light heavyweight and heavyweight MMA fighter indicated that he was aiming to transition from the sport of mixed martial arts to the movie and entertainment industry. Soszynski stated:

"Nine knee surgeries; I'm about to go in for another one most likely. I've had 12 surgeries total. I've been hit in the head a few times; kind of forgetting my words here and there sometimes. So, my body's kind of telling me, 'It's time to find something like movies, where I can fake punch and not get hurt.' So, yeah. That's the next step."

Watch Soszynski's assessment at 1:11 in the video below: