Scott Askham Spoils Mamed Khalidov’s Return in Non-Title Main Event at KSW 52

The middleweight champion @scottaskham1 gets the job done!! #KSW52 pic.twitter.com/DyZNR2Qr0E

— KSW (@KSW_MMA) December 7, 2019

Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki visited Gliwice, Poland, for KSW 52, the promotion’s last show in 2019.

The main event featured mixed martial arts veteran Mamed Khalidov’s (34-7-2) return from a 12-month retirement against KSW middleweight champ Scott Askham (19-4) in a catchweight non-title scrap. In spite of Khalidov’s renowned grappling skills, the former Ultimate Fighting Championship contender wasn’t afraid of taking his opponent to the ground and working from the Polish fighter’s guard. Khalidov couldn’t find an answer to his opponent’s relentless takedowns, and was forced to work all three rounds with his back on the canvas. Eventually, all three judges awarded Askham a unanimous decision victory. In the post-fight interview, the British fighter called out the current KSW light heavyweight titleholder Tomasz Narkun for a champ vs. champ showdown.

In the co-main event, Olympic bronze medalist wrestler Szymon Kolecki (8-1) locked horns with 2-time Olympian weightlifter Damian Janikowski (4-3) in a 202-pound catchweight tilt. As expected, both contenders adopted a physical gameplan and spent a lot of energy in the opening stanza trying to impose themselves with brutal force over their opponent. At the beginning of the second stanza, it seemed like Kolecki was the fresher man and managed not only to bring his opponent to the ground, but also to land some heavy shots to the head. Janikowski scrambled this way up, but he couldn’t run away from Kolecki’s shots. After Janikowski wasn’t able to defend himself intelligently anymore, referee Marc Goddard was forced to stop the action at 3:03 mark of Round 2.

In the only scheduled title match on the card, Salahdine Parnasse (14-0-1) defended his KSW Interim featherweight title by edging Ivan Buchinger (37-7) via unanimous decision.

Elsewhere: Shamil Musaev (13-0) mauled Grzegorz Szulakowski (9-4) thanks to spinning back fist, which earned him a highlight-reel first-round KO; Karolina Owczarz (3-0) submitted Aleksandra Rola (3-1) thanks to a slick triangle choke in the second stanza; Polish fighter Artur Sowinski (20-11-2NC) smashed Vinicius Bohrer (16-8) in the opening stanza of their encounter.

In the first bout of the main card, Michal Michalski (8-4) crushed Albert Odzimkowski (11-4) at 4:31 of the first frame.