KSW 42 goes down this Saturday from the Atlas Arena in Lodz, Poland and if you needed any motivation to buy the PPV on www.KSWTV.com then here are five reasons to!

1. The Streak:

Never beaten in the KSW arena spanning twenty fights since 2007. Challengers who have fallen include Team Quest co-founder Matt Lindland, powerful Melvin Manhoef, TUF winners Kendall Grove & Jesse Taylor, KSW greats Borys Mankowski & Michal Materla, and a whole host of big show veterans. A former KSW light heavyweight champion and current KSW middleweight champion. This is Mamed Khalidov (34-4-2), a fighter many regard as one of the best in the world at 185lbs.

This Saturday he faces a very unique challenge in the shape of a much bigger and a much younger Tomasz Narkun (14-2), who is also the KSW light heavyweight champion. Narkun is nine years Khalidov’s junior and enters this contest having steamrolled his past five opponents, each in the first round.

Khalidov has faced heavy hitters, grinding wrestlers, dangerous submission artists and experienced vets. But never has he faced an opponent like Narkun, who, in a way, possesses a combination of his previous opponents’ best qualities. ’The Giraffe’ has finished each of his opponents either by submission or strikes and at this stage has the fight game knowledge of an experienced veteran.

Can Khalidov remain undefeated in KSW or will we see a new kind rise? This is what a main event should be!


 
2. Middleweight Contenders:

The co-main event of KSW 42 features a stellar middleweight clash between KSW great Michal Materla (25-5) and UFC veteran Scott Askham (15-4). It is a fight which wouldn’t look out of place at the top of any card in the world. Both men are in their primes and there is a lot potentially at stake as it could determine the number one contender for the middleweight crown.

A huge fan favourite in Poland and a former KSW champion, Materla recently finished UFC veteran Paulo Thiago landing a big right hand in the second round at KSW 40 in Dublin this past October. This win marked a triumphant return to the cage for ’Cipao’ following a short layoff and it was his third straight stoppage victory after finishing former KSW champ Antoni Chmielewski and Rousimar Palhares in his two previous bouts. Overall his KSW record stands at 15-3 and has registered wins over the likes of Kendall Grove, Tomasz Drwal, Rodney Wallace, and Matt Horwich, to name just a few.

"I came to KSW for big fights and this is one of them, I want to make a statement here," said Scott Askham about facing Materla. KSW snapped the 29-year-old at the end of 2017 following an impressive win over fellow UK veteran Luke Barnatt. Prior to that Askham fought six times in the UFC and is a former BAMMA champion. With eleven stoppages on his record, including a ’Performance of the Night’ highlight reel finish over Chris Dempsey, he is a dangerous opponent for anyone and he is fully expecting another finish in this fight.


 
3. The Queen of Violence:

She is being heralded as one of the best flyweights in the world of MMA. At just 24-years-old Ariane Lipski (10-3) has torn her way through opponents en route to earning the suitable moniker as ’The Violence Queen’.

Four fights in KSW, four devastating finishes. The Brazilian made her promotional debut in 2015 and immediately made an impression finishing the previously undefeated Katarzyna Lubonska with strikes in the second round then overwhelming the very well respected veteran Sheila Gaff in the first round. These two wins earned Lipski a chance at the inaugural KSW flyweight title at the historic KSW 39 event last May and she delivered in spectacular fashion with a first round submission win over Diana Belbita. And in her first title defense she submitted submission artist Mariana Morais in less than a minute.

Now she faces the dangerous Argentinian Silvana Gomez Juarez (6-1) in which promises to be a blink-and-you-could-miss-it fight. Prepare for violence!


 
4. The Rematch:

Almost 12 years ago, all the way back at KSW 6, Lukasz Jurkowski (16-10) and Martin Zawada (27-14-1) fought a gruelling fight, a war of attrition. Now all these years later they will lock horns again. A lot has changed both in MMA and KSW since then but these men promised to bring some old school action on Saturday night.

Jurkowski is the winner of the very first tournament at KSW 1 and after fighting for seven years he retired in 2011. He didn’t step away from the sport completely though. ’Juras’ became a commentator for KSW and a beloved personality in the sport in Poland. However, last year when the historic KSW 39 event - the largest MMA show in European history - was announced for his hometown of Warsaw the temptation to come back was too much. The 36-year-old dusted off the gloves and scored a decision win over UFC veteran Sokoudjou to make for a fairy tale return.

During those years Germany’s Martin Zawada has remained a constant staple on the European MMA scene. Respected across the continent for his toughness and ability to end a fight in the blink of an eye, he will be looking to spoil the party for Jurkowski and get another win over KSW’s first golden boy.


 
5. Double Debut:

Two of Poland’s most popular martial arts darlings will meet at KSW 42 as Paulina Raszewska faces Karolina Owczraz, in what will be both of their respective MMA debuts.

Raszewska is a former Polish champion in Sanda and Muay Thai, has won numerous of national and international in K1 and has competed professionally in boxing too. Currently a coach in the KSW Cross Fight gym in Warsaw, Raszewska was originally slated to make her pro MMA debut in KSW back in 2012. She would also be recognizable to Polish MMA fans as a journalist for myMMA.pl.

Owczarz is also a decorated striker, she was a national junior boxing champion and then went on to be an undefeated pro boxer with a record of 4-0. Before her pro boxing debut she appeared on the Mexican TV reality show ’Reto de Campeonas’, which highlighted young boxing prospects. After retiring from boxing Owczarz became a journalist for national TV channel Polsat Sport but stepped away from this role last year to focus on MMA training. Now she will make her debut in front of her hometown crowd in Lodz.