Arguably the biggest card of the year for Polish MMA promotion KSW arrived on Saturday, December 17, with two title fights at KSW 77 — and a pair of the company’s biggest stars topping the show.
Mariusz Pudzianowski has, for years, been one of the pillars of the promotion. A winner of The World’s Strongest Man strongman competition years ago, “Pudzian” is a hulking heavyweight who has found considerable success crossing over from another sport. While he’s never won, or even fought, for a title, at heavyweight, it almost doesn’t matter: he puts butts in seats and wins more than he loses, with a 17-7, 1NC record heading into Saturday’s showdown with Mamed Khalidov.
When it comes to Khalidov, for years he was one of the best middleweight talents outside the UFC. Wins over Jesse Taylor, Kendall Grove, Maiquel Falcao, and Brett Cooper in the early days of the Polish promotion solidified his reputation, as did victories outside the promotion against Igor Pokrajac, Jason Guida, and Jorge Santiago.
Early on in the promotion’s history, Khalidov became the inaugural KSW light heavyweight champion. And while in recent years he struggled with catchweight bouts opposite Tomasz Narkun and Scott Askham before losing his middleweight title against Roberto Soldic, at 42 Khalidov’s skills remain a threat to all but the best in the organization.
Two title fights also adorned the KSW 77 card, with Sebastian Przybysz defending against Jakub Wiklacz, and Ibragim Chuzhigaev putting his belt on the line against Ivan Erslan.
KSW 77 takes place Saturday, December 17, 2022 in Gliwice, Poland, kicking off at 1PM ET. The event can be streamed via KSWTV.com.
KSW 77: Pudzianowski vs. Khalidov Results
Mamed Khalidov def. Mariusz Pudzianowski by TKO (Submission to Punches) Round 1, 1:54
Jakub Wiklacz def. Sebastian Przybysz (c) by Split Decision – for the KSW bantamweight championship
Ibragim Chuzhigaev (c) def. Ivan Erslan by Unanimous Decision – for the KSW light heavyweight championship
Daniel Rutkowski def. Lom-Ali Eskiev by Split Decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29)
Andrzej Grzebyk def. Oton Jasse by KO (Body Punch), Round 1, 4:21
Patryk Kaczmarczyk def. Pascal Hintzen by TKO (Knees to the Body), Round 1, 1:03
Bogdan Gnidko def. Madalin Pirvulescu by KO (Head Kick and Punches), Round 1, 0:38
Michal Domin def. Patryk Likus by Technical Submission (Triangle Choke), Round 3, 4:33
Yann Liasse def. Adrian Gralak by Submission (Rear-Naked Choke), Round 2, 2:37
Shamad Erzanukaev def. Carl McNally by Submission (Rear-Naked Choke), Round 2, 2:48
Wiktoria Czyzewska def. Aleksandra Karaseva by TKO (Punches), Round 1, 1:12
