KSW 52 results: Champions Scott Askham, Salahdine Parnasse shine in Gliwice

Middleweight champion Scott Askham was forced to go the the distance for the first time in his KSW tenure by returning legend Mamed Khalidov.

Even so, Askham was the victor of the catchweight clash in the main event of KSW 52 in Gliwice, Poland on Saturday. Following the contest, Askham called for a champion-versus-champion showdown with light heavyweight titleholder, Tomasz Narkun.

Khalidov forced a stellar grappling performance from the English fighter as he immediately landed a takedown and threatened with a heel hook in the opening minute of the contest. After setting a frantic pace from the bottom over the first five minutes, Khalidov tired at a much more rapid rate than the imposing champion as the fight wore on. Askham controlled the fight from top position, landing measured blows between bursts of action from Khalidov, which grew more infrequent before the fight drew to a halt.

After 15 minutes of action, Askham was awarded a unanimous decision win.

Szymon Kolecki collected another win over a huge name opponent when he stopped fellow Olympic hero Damian Janikowski in the second round of their co-main event bout. Janikowski came out of the gates like a man possessed, showcasing his signature wrestling ability as well as his punching power. Kolecki weathered the storm and referee Marc Goddard was forced to wave off the action after an onslaught of attacks in the second round, which Janikowski was visibly struggling to evade.

Kolecki now has two huge scalps in two outings with KSW having claimed a win over Mariusz Pudzianowski in his promotional debut.

Salahdine Parnasse underlined his status as one of the great young talents in the sport with a dazzling five-round display against decorated Slovakian veteran, Ivan Buchinger, to defend his interim featherweight title.

The 22-year-old showcased his pinpoint striking in the second when he dropped Buchinger with a piston left hand. It was his submission skills that took center stage in the third as he deftly sank in a choke that demanded Buchinger’s full attention.

Such was Buchinger’s befuddlement that he threw back-to-back rolling thunder kicks early in the fourth round. Shortly after, Parnasse roared back with a blitz of heavy hands that had the bout on the verge of conclusion. The bloodied Slovakian managed to make it to the final bell, but was completely outclassed by the French interim champion on the night.

Looking like a future title contender as he went about his business, highly touted prospect Shamil Musaev continued his undefeated run, improving to 14-0, with a stunning finish that began with a spinning backfist. After catching Grzegorz Szulakowski with the spectacular strike, he landed one more shot before the referee waved off the action. The win is the Russian’s second in as many outings with the Polish promotion.

Former featherweight champion Artur Sowinksi capped off a run of four consecutive first-round knockouts that opened the card. Sowinski caught opponent Vinicius Bohrer with a head kick before dropping him with a two-punch combination.

Earlier in the night, Polish lightweight Maciej Kazieczko scored a devastating knockout over Michael Dubois just 24 seconds into their clash.

Full results:

• Scott Askham def. Mamed Khalidov via unanimous decision
• Szymon Kolecki def. Damian Janikowski via TKO (strikes) in R2
• Salahdine Parnasse def. Ivan Buchinger via unanimous decision [Interim featherweight title]
• Shamil Musaev def. Grzegorz Szulakowski via TKO (spinning-back fist and punch) in R1
• Karolina Owczarz def. Aleksandra Rola via submission (triangle) in R2
• Artur Sowinski def. Vinicius Bohrer via KO (head kick and punches) in R1
• Michal Michalski def. Albert Odzimkowski via KO (punches) in R1
• Maciej Kazieczko def. Michael Dubois via KO (overhand right) in R1
• Michal Wlodarek def. Srdan Marovic via KO (punches) in R1