KSW 45 in London, England will featured the beginnings of a middleweight tournament, and a welterweight title fight rematch between Dricus Du Plessis and Roberto Soldic.
KSW’s upcoming event in London, England this October looks like it just got a little more interesting. The card, KSW 45: The Return to Wembley (or KSW London if you prefer) takes place October 6 at The SSE Arena, Wembley in London, England. In a pair of press releases Monday, the promotion announced both a four-man middleweight tournament, and a welterweight championship bout for the card.
Curiously, middleweight champion Mamed Khalidov is set to vacate the promotion’s 185lb title in advance of the tournament, which will begin at KSW 45. With the title up for grabs, Michal Materla, Marcin Wojcik, Scott Askham, and Damian Janikowski will battle for the vacant belt. Janikowski in particular has become a fledgling star for the promotion. The Olympic bronze medalist is 3-0 in his MMA career to date. Askham, meanwhile, is a former UFC combatant who is on the rebound since exiting the promotion.
Ex-middleweight champ Materla (26-6) will meet Janikowski (3-0) in one bout, while the other will see Askham (16-4) take on former light heavyweight contender Wojcik (11-5).
A welterweight title fight rematch between Dricus Du Plessis (12-1) and Roberto Soldic (13-3) has also been booked for the card. The pair first met earlier this year at KSW 43, where Du Plessis knocked out Soldic in the second round to claim the 170lb title.
In Monday’s press release announcing the fight, KSW CEO Martin Lewandowski said that “In Dricus and Roberto we have two of the most exciting and talented prospects in the world at welterweight. Both men are still so young but have proven themselves as incredible talents. Their first fight was like something from a movie, worlds colliding with their contrasting fighting styles and different personalities. It was truly a fantastic fight and I can’t wait to see what chapter two now holds for us.”
The middleweight tournament and welterweight title fight join the KSW heavyweight championship fight between Phil De Fries and Karol Bedorf, previously announced for the card.
