Both fighters successfully made weight for the main event of KSW 117. Champion Pawel Pawlak weighed in at 83.9 kg and will defend his title against Mamed Khalidov, who came in at 83.6 kg. The bout is confirmed to proceed as scheduled with both competitors hitting their championship weight marks. Khalidov, a legendary figure in KSW, will challenge for the title in what is expected to be a significant matchup for the Polish promotion.
Pawel Pawlak and Mamed Khalidov both made championship weight ahead of their KSW 117 main event, clearing the path for the middleweight title fight to proceed as scheduled. Pawlak tipped the scales at 83.9 kg, with Khalidov coming in just below at 83.6 kg.
Pawlak, 37, enters the contest as the reigning KSW middleweight champion carrying a professional record of 12 wins and 3 losses. The Polish fighter, who trains out of Octopus Lodz, stands six feet tall with a 73-inch reach and operates out of an orthodox stance. He averages 1.67 significant strikes landed per minute and mixes in takedown threats at a rate of one per 15 minutes, though his ground game leans more toward control than submission hunting.
Khalidov, a storied veteran of the KSW promotion, needs little introduction to fans of Polish MMA. His long history with the organization makes this challenge one of the more high-profile title bouts KSW has staged in recent memory, with his pursuit of the belt carrying considerable weight beyond the competitive stakes of the fight itself.
Why it matters
- Pawlak puts his KSW middleweight championship on the line against one of the promotion's most decorated figures
- Khalidov's status as a KSW legend gives the bout rare symbolic significance within the Polish promotion
- Both fighters hitting their marks removes any uncertainty, confirming the contest will go ahead as planned
