The main event of KSW 117 is confirmed after both fighters successfully made weight. Champion Pawel Pawlak weighed in at 83.9 kg and will defend his title against challenger Mamed Khalidov, who came in at 83.6 kg. Both fighters hit their marks for what appears to be a middleweight championship bout. Khalidov is a legendary veteran of European MMA, while Pawlak holds the current KSW title. The weigh-in confirms no issues that would prevent the bout from proceeding as scheduled.
Both fighters hit the scales without incident ahead of KSW 117, locking in a middleweight title bout between reigning champion Pawel Pawlak and legendary challenger Mamed Khalidov. Pawlak weighed in at 83.9 kg while Khalidov came in at 83.6 kg, clearing the way for the main event to proceed as scheduled.
Pawlak, 37, carries a 12-3-0 professional record into the contest and represents Octopus Lodz out of Poland. Standing six feet tall with a 73-inch reach, the orthodox fighter holds the current KSW middleweight title and will be making a championship defense. He averages 1.67 significant strikes per minute and lands one takedown per fifteen minutes of action, painting the picture of a measured, well-rounded competitor.
Khalidov needs little introduction to European MMA audiences. A longtime standard-bearer of the KSW organization, he enters as the challenger looking to reclaim championship gold in a promotion where he built much of his considerable reputation.
Why it matters
- The title is on the line, making this the most significant KSW middleweight bout in recent memory
- Khalidov's storied history with the promotion adds a legacy dimension to the championship stakes
- Both fighters made weight cleanly, removing any uncertainty that could have altered the contest's format or length
- A victory for either man carries serious weight in the European MMA middleweight landscape
