KSW 61: To Fight or Not To Fight — that is the question, but when the cage door locks these fighters won’t have a choice, or they will end up looking at the bright lights atop the Ergo Arena.
Taking place this Saturday, Poland will once again put the country on the MMA map with another violent event. One with fans back in the building. While the card is filled with thrilling fights, today the focus is on the co-main and main event of the evening.
First, in the co-main event, Salahdine Parnasse (14-1-1) will take on Filip Pejić (15-4-2) in a featherweight bout. Then the main event will feature the former World’s Strongest Man Mariusz Pudzianowski (14-7) against Łukasz Jurkowski (17-11). Despite being in the twilight of their career given their respective ages, these two fighters always bring it inside the KSW gauntlet.
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KSW 61 Co-Main Event – Salahdine Parnasse vs. Filip Pejić
Parnasse recently endured a title loss against Daniel Torres by a rare forearm strike knockout. No doubt the ex-champ is eager to bounce back with a statement performance. The former title holder took his first loss in the bout, and it happened on the big stage. Still, with this being his seventh fight in the Polish organization, he is emerging as a staple threat in the featherweight division. With a win this weekend, the French contender will be on his way to a path to the title.
Conversely, Pejić is coming off a win. A win over Parnasse, seen by many as one of the top featherweight talents outside North America, would certainly put him in the title conversation. The 28-year old Croatian last competed at KSW 56: Polska vs. Chorwacja. In particular, Pejić finished his opponent with punches in just 12-seconds into the first round. If Parnasse doesn’t avoid the power of Pejić early, then he will fall into the heavy striking battles that Pejić likes to participate in.
KSW 61 Main Event – Mariusz Pudzianowski vs. Łukasz Jurkowski
Despite their older age, these two fighters throw heavy leather. In fact, Pudzianowski is on a two-fight win streak and picked up two emphatic wins in that span. First, against Erko Jun where he starched the Bosnian native. Following the destruction at KSW 51: Croatia, Pudzianowski once again put his raw power on display when he dispatched Nikola Milanović in a single round with punches.
Prior to being paired with Pudzianowski, Jurkowski cemented his name in the KSW promotion after taking out Stjepan Bekavac in less than two minutes by TKO. While the fight ended with a knee injury, the bout was ultimately scored a TKO finish for Jurkowski. Specifically, the fight at KSW 48: Szymański vs. Parnasse highlighted Jurkowski’s readiness for a marginal step up in competition.
Jurkowski is moving up in weight here, after competing at light heavyweight last time out.
KSW 61 airs live this Saturday, June 5 on KSWTV.com
