KSW Colosseum 2, the huge stadium event set for Poland’s national stadium in Warsaw on June 3, now has a main event.
Headlining the show is a middleweight trilogy fight between former 185-pound champions Mamed Khalidov and Scott Askham, with the bout officially unveiled via KSW’s social media channels.
Khalidov is the biggest star in KSW history. The former multi-time champion is the most beloved fighter to have pulled on a set of KSW gloves.
He first faced Askham in a non-title fight at KSW 52, where he lost out on the scorecards in Gliwice, but bounced back in the championship rematch at KSW 58, as he finished the Englishman with a flying switch kick in Lodz.
Khalidov lost his title to hard-hitting Roberto Soldic at KSW 65 and promptly announced his retirement. But that decision lasted just one year, as he returned to the KSW cage for KSW 77, where he needed less than two minutes to finish Polish heavyweight icon and former five-time World’s Strongest Man Mariusz Pudzianowski via first-round TKO.
Earlier in his career, Khalidov headlined KSW’s first Colosseum event, KSW 39, in May 2017 as he defeated Borys Mankowski via unanimous decision. Now he’s back at the top of the card for the promotion’s second Colosseum show as he returns to Stadium PGE Narodowy to headline a blockbuster event once again. Prior to the main event confirmation, KSW had already confirmed that more than 25,000 tickets had already been sold for the event.
The matchup also offers a huge opportunity for his opposite number. Askham hasn’t competed since that knockout loss to Khalidov in 2020, but prior to that defeat, the Brit had won five straight, including four under the KSW banner. The 34-year-old from Doncaster will see this bout as an opportunity to claim a statement victory and immediately put himself in contention for the KSW middleweight title, which currently sits vacant.
KSW Colosseum 2: Confirmed fights
- Mamed Khalidov vs. Scott Askham
- Mariusz Pudzianowski vs. Artur Szpilka
- Marian Ziolkowski vs. Salahdine Parnasse