Mateusz Gamrot Outclasses Norman Parke in Bloody Affair at KSW 53

WOW! @gamer_mma defeats a bloody Norman Parke via doctor stoppage. #KSW53

Words are exchanged after the fight but they put their rivalry to bed. pic.twitter.com/6M303vhSsI

— KSW (@KSW_MMA) July 11, 2020

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KSW's first event since the COVID-19 outbreak forced the Polish organization to go on an extended hiatus went down in Warsaw, Poland, on Saturday.

In the main event of KSW 53, Mateusz Gamrot (16-0) and Norman Parke (28-7-1) settled their bitter rivalry once and for all. Eventually, Gamrot proved to be the better fighter, as he utilized superior footwork to pick his opponent apart. The reigning lightweight champion marked his opponent's face early in the opening stanza while "Stormin" struggled to find his range. In the second round, Gamrot landed some heavy shots that closed Parke's eye. There was a brief scare when Gamrot poked his foe in the eye; their previous fight ended in no-contest due to an eye injury after numerous eye pokes.

This time, though, the fight went on. After Parke's face transformed into a bloody mask, the referee called the physician to check on the fighter's condition. The doctor called off the fight soon after the beginning of round three. In the post-match interview, Gamrot forced Parke to apologize for his trash talking before the match. For the moment, it seems that the KSW lightweight belt is solidly in the hands of "Gamer," who is now looking for his next opponent. 

The co-main event featured a lightweight clash between Borys Mankowski (21-8-1) and Marcin Wrzosek (14-7). The former KSW champions put on a close fight that developed most of the time against the fence. While it seemed that "The Polish Zombie" landed the hardest shots, cutting also Mankowski's forehead, the judges rewarded "The Tasmanian Devil"'s tenacity with a unanimous decision victory. 

Elsewhere, former UFC middleweight contender Tomasz Drwal (22-5-1) marked his return in the cage after a five-year break with a second-round TKO victory over Lukasz Bienkowski (5-4); In a welterweight affair, two-division FEN champion Grzebyk Andrzej Grzebyk (18-3) overcame Tomasz Jakubiec (10-4) via TKO in the second round of his KSW debut; Roman Szymanski (13-5) edged Filip 'Nitro' Pejic (14-4-2) via TKO in the third round of their lightweight encounter; Former KSW featherweight champion Artur Sowinski (21-11) detonated Gracjan Szadzinski (8-4) via first-round TKO and Michal Pietrzak (9-4) scored his fight victory under the KSW banner after he crushed Kamil Szymuszowski (17-7) via KO in the first stanza.

In the opening fight on the card, Sebastian Przybysz (7-2) smashed Jakub Wiklacz (10–3-1) thanks to a first-round TKO victory.