Salahdine Parnasse puts interim title on the line against Ivan Buchinger at KSW 52

KSW’s end-of-year show already packed a huge punch due to the highly anticipated catchweight meeting between Scott Askham and Mamed Khalidov taking centerstage, but the marquee will be bolstered further by the addition of French sensation Salahdine Parnasse’s first interim title defense against Russian MMA veteran Ivan Buchinger.

KSW confirmed the featherweight tussle to MMA Fighting on Monday.

Parnasse (13-0-1) is considered a standout prospect in Europe and has proven his caliber since signing on the dotted line for KSW in 2017. The 21-year-old’s interim title capture came on the back of four consecutive wins with the Polish promotion. Despite being outmatched in terms of experience he scored consecutive decision wins against Lukasz Rajewski and former champions Artur Sowinski and Marcin Wrzosek. He stopped Roman Szymanski in the second round of their main event clash at KSW 48 in late April to secure the interim belt.

The Atch Academy product was selected on MMA Fighting’s 2018 European Prospects to Watch feature.

Buchinger (36-6-0) is a former champion under the M-1 Challenge and Cage Warriors banners. An 11-year veteran of the sport, the Slovakian stalwart carries a four-fight win streak into his meeting with Parnasse. Although he is very highly regarded by fans and media in Europe, Buchinger is best known to international fans for being on the end of the highlight reel, left hook knockout of Conor McGregor back in 2013 that secured the Irishman his second Cage Warriors title and his entry to the UFC.