Former KSW middleweight and light heavyweight champion, Mamed Khalidov is back in the winner’s enclosure following his stunning knockout loss to Croatian kickboxer, Roberto Soldic last year — stopping heavyweight favorite, Mariusz Pudzianowski with a slew of first round ground strikes in the main event of KSW 77 in Gliwice, Poland.
Khalidov, a former light heavyweight champion and two-time middleweight champion under the banner of KSW, suffered a heavy knockout loss to recent ONE Championship debutante, Soldic a year ago yesterday.
As for Polish veteran, Pudzianowski, the 45-year-old former strongman, who boasts a 17-8(1) professional record following tonight’s first round ground strikes loss to Khalidov — headlined back in May against Michal Materla, landing a stunning knockout victory which earned him a Knockout of the Night honor.
Turning in a one-sided first round win, Mamed Khalidov quickly scored a huge takedown on Pudzianowski in the first round, before moving to the back of the Polish veteran.
Raining down with a barrage of ground strikes to Pudzianowski, Khalidov forced referee, Marc Goddard to call a halt to the highly-anticipated headlining clash in the first minute of the iconic pairing, after securing hooks, and flattening the former out onto the canvas, who eventually tapped to first round strikes.