Connect with us

KSW

KSW Epic: Adamek stops injured Khalidov, De Fries and Barnett battle to draw

KSW’s Gliwice super-card served up action aplenty, from old-school matchups to crossover fights.
KSW

KSW have never been shy to push the boundaries in a bid to provide eye-catching combat sports entertainment for their fans, and the Polish promotion delivered a mixed bag of results on a big night in Gliwice.

The headline bout saw KSW legend Mamed Khalidov take on former world champion boxer Tomasz Adamek in a six-round boxing rules matchup, but the action was forced to halt at the end of the third round after Khalidov sustained a hand injury that left him unable to continue.

The standout moment of the night came in the co-main event, as Rafal Haratyk won his second bout of the night to win the one-night light heavyweight tournament and capture the vacant KSW 205-pound title.

Haratyk had already stopped Marcin Wojcik in the first round of his semi-final bout earlier in the night before he returned to take on fellow semi-final victor Damian Piwowarczyk in the final.

KSW

The pair went back and forth through three tightly-contested rounds to leave the identity of the new champion up in the air as the judges collated their scorecards. In the end, it was 36-year-old Haratyk who claimed the 19th win of his career, and the light heavyweight title, via split decision.

The card also saw KSW heavyweight champion Phil De Fries in action, as the big Englishman took on former UFC heavyweight champion Josh Barnett in a special submission grappling matchup.

KSW

Both men headed into the matchup confident of success, but they largely cancelled each other out as their respective smarts on the mat proved good enough to avoid being submitted. And, after time ran out on the pair, both men had their hands raised with the contest ruled a draw.

The identity of De Fries’ next title challenger in MMA may also have been decided at the event, as Darko Stosic demolished Matheus Scheffel in just 74 seconds to stake his claim for a rematch with the reigning champ later this year. They last fought back in 2022 at KSW 67, where De Fries picked up a fifth-round TKO via retirement. Now Stosic looks ready for another crack at the Brit.

Earlier in the night there was a brutal finish in the special Pride FC rules matchup between Muslim Tulshaeav and Konrad Rusinski, as Tulshaev dropped his man with an upper cut, then proceeded to finish him with vicious stomps and soccer kicks for the sort of finish you rarely see outside of old-school Pride FC highlight reels.

That wasn’t the only throwback fight, as the opening bout of the night saw rival grapplers Piotr Kacprzak and Adam Brysz face off under MMA rules, with both fighters wearing their traditional gis. Kacprzak took the victory with a quickfire TKO in just 78 seconds.

KSW

KSW Epic: Official results

MAIN CARD

  • Tomasz Adamek def. Mamed Khalidov via TKO (injury) – Round 3, 3:00 – boxing rules
  • Rafal Haratyk def. Damian Piwowarczyk via split decision – for vacant KSW light heavyweight title
  • Phil De Fries vs. Josh Barnett ruled a draw (time expired) – submission grappling
  • Vaclav Sivak def. Michal Krolik via unanimous decision – Muay Thai rules
  • Darko Stosic def. Matheus Scheffel via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 1:14 – Pride FC rules
  • Rafal Haratyk def. Marcin Wojcik via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 4:07 – light heavyweight tournament semi-final
  • Damian Piwowarczyk def. Kleber Silva via knockout (body shot) – Round 1: 2:42 – light heavyweight tournament semi-final
  • Ivan Erslan def. Bogdan Gnidko via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 0:54 – light heavyweight tournament reserve bout

PRELIMINARY CARD

  • Muslim Tulshaev def. Konrad Rusinski via TKO (soccer kicks) – Round 3, 0:35 – Pride FC rules
  • Piotr Kacprzak def. Adam Brysz via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 1:18 – MMA in gis

Related Topics

A sports editor and MMA reporter with 25 years' experience in sports media, Simon has covered mixed martial arts since 2009 for a host of national and international outlets, including BBC Sport, MMA Junkie/USA Today, BT Sport and the Daily Mirror.

More in KSW