Marian Ziolkowski vs. Borys Mankowsi, KSW 66
Saturday, January 15, 2022
There are two title fights atop KSW 66 this weekend, but it’s the lightweight affair that really stands out.
Borys Mankowski is a name synonymous with the Polish promotion. He first competed under the KSW banner in 2010, returned just under two years later at KSW 19, and has pretty much been a staple ever since. Mankowski went on to win welterweight gold in 2014, and defended his title three times before losing it to Roberto Soldic in 2017 (it’s worth noting that Borys also made a failed bid at capturing middleweight gold against then-champ Mamed Khalidov during that run).
Mankowski began making the drop to lightweight in 2019, and in 2020 arrived in the division full time. He’s been on a tear, having won three straight, plus a boxing match against UFC alum Norman Parke last year. While he didn’t compete in MMA in 2021, he’s looking to make up for that this year when he challenges lightweight champ Marian Ziolkowski.
Ziolkowski, who came up short against Mateusz Gamrot prior to the latter jumping to the UFC, claimed the vacant title in 2020, and successfully defended it last year. There’s no question that Mankowski is his biggest name to date as champ. The winner just might stake their claim as the best lightweight outside the UFC.
