In the main event, Marian Ziółkowski put his title on the line against his toughest test to date as champ — former welterweight title holder Borys Mańkowski. Since dropping down to 155lbs, Mańkowski had been perfect, and was looking to claim a second KSW title in his new weight class.

In the co-main event, meanwhile, Tomasz Narkun put his light heavyweight title on the line against promotional newcomer Ibragim Chuzhigaev. Russia’s Chuzhigaev, a veteran of ACA/ACB and other promotions, rode a six-fight winning streak into the event.

KSW 66 goes down live on Saturday, January 15 at the Netto Arena in Szczecin, Poland. The event streams live via KSW.tv starting at 1PM ET. Full results can be found below.

KSW 66: Ziółkowski vs. Mańkowski Results

Marian Ziółkowski (c) def. Borys Mańkowski by unanimous decision – For the KSW Lightweight Championship
Ibragim Chuzhigaev def. Tomasz Narkun (c) by unanimous decision – For the KSW Light Heavyweight Championship
Michał Materla def. Jason Radcliffe by TKO, Round 1, 4:07
Krystian Kaszubowski def. Tomasz Romanowski by unanimous decision
Sebastian Rajewski def. Niklas Bäckström by unanimous decision
Wojciech Janusz def. Przemysław Dzwoniarek by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 1, 2:04
Donovan Desmae def. Łukasz Rajewski by submission (triangle arm-bar), Round 2, 4:07
Gracjan Szadziński def. Francesco Moricca by KO, Round 2, 1:58
Kacper Koziorzębski def. Hubert Szymajda by unanimous decision
Patryk Surdyn def. Dawid Martinik by unanimous decision

The post KSW 66: Ziółkowski vs. Mańkowski Full Results appeared first on Cageside Press.

Lightweight champion Marian Ziolkowski and challenger/former welterweight champ Borys Mankowski both made weight for their main event title fight. So too did co-headliners Tomasz Narkun and Ibragim Chuzhigaev. That fight will see Narkun defending his light heavyweight title.

The change to the card, meanwhile, comes as Tomasz Romanowski was forced out of his fight due to medical reasons. KSW officials announced the development in a press release on Friday. Stepping in for Romanowski against Krystian Kaszubowski (9-2) will be Robert Maciejowski (5-3-1).

KSW 66, the first event of the year for the Polish promotion, takes place tomorrow, January 15, 2022 in Szczecin, Poland. The card airs live on KSWTV.com.

KSW 66 Weigh-In Results

Main Event
KSW Lightweight Title
Champion Marian Ziolkowski (70.2 kg/155 lb) vs. Borys Mankowski (70.2 kg/155 lb)

Co-Main Event
KSW Light Heavyweight Title
Champion Tomasz Narkun (94 kg/205 lb) vs. Ibragim Chuzhigaev (92.5 kg/204lb)

Middleweight
Michal Materla (84.4 kg/186 lb) vs. Jason Radcliffe (84.2 kg/186 lb)

Middleweight
Krystian Kaszubowski (78.3 kg/173 lb) vs. Robert Maciejowski (83 kg/183 lb)

Lightweight
Sebastian Rajewski (70.6 kg/156 lb) vs. Niklas Bäckström (70.7 kg/156 lb)

98 kg Catchweight
Wojciech Janusz (97.6 kg/215 lb) vs. Damian Skarżyński (97.3 kg/214 lb)

Lightweight
Lukasz Rajewski (70.7 kg/156 lb) vs. Donovan Desmae (70.4 kg/155 lb)

73 kg Catchweight
Gracjan Szadzinski (72.9 kg/161 lb) vs. Francesco Moricca (72.5 kg/160 lb)

Welterweight
Kacper Koziorzebski (77.6 kg/171 lb) vs. Hubert Szymajda (77 kg/170 lb)

Bantamweight
Patryk Surdyn (61.5 kg/136 lb) vs. David Martinik (61.3 kg/135 lb)

The post Title Fights Official for KSW 66, One Fighter Replaced appeared first on Cageside Press.

Well, we shall want no more. The UFC returns this week, as does Invicta FC, ONE Championship, and a number of other promotions. By the end of the month, the UFC’s heavyweight title will have been defended, as well as Bellator’s — both fights being title unification bouts.

There are some interesting title fights coming up this week, however. While the UFC is bringing a Fight Night event with no championship gold on the line, Invicta, ONE, KSW, and even the regional circuit have some title fights worth keeping an eye on.

Here’s a recap of when and where gold is on the line this week.

Sarah Kaufman vs. Claudia Leite, PAWFC

Saturday, January 15, 2022

Despite the terrible acronym (PAWFC is way too close to PAWG, frankly), Pallas Athena Women’s Fighting Championship has a solid card for an upstart promotion. It helps that the best female fighter not signed to a female promotion (wait, technically Kayla Harrison isn’t currently signed, so make that second best?) is topping the event.

It’s pretty much a crime that Sarah Kaufman isn’t signed to either the UFC or Bellator, though the latter doesn’t currently have her weight class. The Canadian is 5-1 since leaving the UFC following losses to Valentina Shevchenko and Alexis Davis — a.k.a. one of the best female fighters on the planet, and a former UFC title challenger.

Kaufman, a former Strikeforce champion, won gold in Invicta after departing the UFC. She came up short in her PFL run, but let’s not forget that came up not one, but two weight classes. After sitting out most of the pandemic due to girls simply not wanting to fight her, Kaufman finally got back to work at BTC 13 in Ontario last year. That saw her smash through Bellator vet Jessy Miele in a featherweight fight; at PAWFC 1, it’s back to bantamweight, where she’ll face the little-known Claudia Leite for the promotion’s inaugural 135lb belt.

Brazil’s Leite is on a four-fight win streak and is no pushover, so a Kaufman win here is far from a given. But if she claims the belt, the UFC really needs to give her another look. In the meantime, with Canada’s regional MMA scene struggling in recent years, it’s nice to see another option open its doors — and a rare all-female show at that. The card, which also features the well-known Andy Nguyen, will stream live on Fite.tv

The post Four Title Fights to Watch As MMA Returns This Week appeared first on Cageside Press.

KSW 66 will take place on Saturday, January 15, 2022 in Szczecin, Poland. KSW officials announced the news over the holidays, with several fights already added to the event. Among them will be a lightweight championship bout, with Marian Ziolkowski (23-8-1, 1NC) putting his belt on the line against former KSW welterweight champion Borys Mankowski (22-8-1).

Ziolkowski has won both his fights since losing a title shot against current UFC star Mateusz Gamrot in August 2020. After Gamrot vacated the KSW lightweight championship, Ziolkowski won the strap by stopping Roman Szymański with a body kick later that year. He made his first title defense back in April, submitting Maciej Kazieczko.

Mankowski is well known for his battles with former UFC fighter Norman Parke, middleweight champ Mamed Khalidov, current welterweight champ Roberto Soldic, and UFC/TUF veteran Jesse Taylor, among others. He’s won his past three fights, though his only action in 2021 came in a boxing match with rival Parke, which Mankowski won via unanimous decision.

The other title fight expected for the KSW 66 card will see Tomasz Narkun put his light heavyweight title on the line against Ibragim Chuzhigaev. While KSW has yet to officially announce the match-up, they had previously advertised Narkun as part of the card. Sherdog was first to report news of his opponent.

Narkun (18-4) will enter the fight off a failed bid to capture a second title at heavyweight. He fell short against Phil De Fries, ending up knocked out in the second round of their fight at KSW 60. Prior to that defeat, Narkun had won two straight.

Ibragim Chuzhigaev (15-5) previously competed for ACA/ACB, and will be making his promotional debut in the fight. He’s won his past six bouts.

Also announced for KSW 66 on January 15 is a welterweight showdown between Tomasz Romanowski (14-8) and Krystian Kaszubowski (9-2). Both veterans of the KSW cage, Romanowski is 5-1 dating back to March of 2020, with his lone loss coming to recent title challenger Patrik Kincl. Kaszubowski, is 1-1 since 2020, will be looking to bounce back from a loss to Michal Pietrzak.

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