KSW 40: Dublin main card and full event preview

Premier Polish organization KSW is ready to put on another spectacle.

KSW is ready to set a major stage yet again, with another foray outside of Poland this weekend at KSW 40: Dublin. The event will feature some of their most prominent names with some action-heavy matchups in what essentially boils down to an interesting Poland vs Ireland card.

The main event was a true reckless heavyweight fight between globetrotting giant James McSweeney (15-15) and Mariusz Pudzianowski (11-5). Unfortunately, McSweeney had been pulled from the event due to last-minute medical concerns. He has since been replaced by well-travelled middleweight Jay Silva (10-11-1 draw).

Silva has fought in KSW before and pretty much all over, in organizations such as the UFC, Bellator, Tachi Palace and MFC. His last fight was a middleweight fight in Cage Fury Fighting Championships 63, in a decision loss to former TUF contestant Tim Williams. Silva has faced and defeated the likes of Kendal Grove and Michal Materla (in a non-title fight), whom he had initially lost to for the vacant KSW title. He remained 1-2 against Materla, and also has losses to Bristol Marunde, Sam Alvey, Chris Leben and Hector Lombard. Silva’s boxing is his bread and butter, but his sprawl game and defensive wrestling are a tough test for any opponent.

Meanwhile, Pudzianowski snapped a two-fight losing skid of his own at the hands of K-1 veteran Peter Graham and Marcin Rosalski to earn back to back wins over rapper Pawel Rak (a.k.a. Popek Monster) and Tyberiusz Kowalczyk - both finishes by strikes. How well will he do against a faster and younger middleweight that can hit hard? I guess we’re going to find out.

The co-main event is the most relevant and compelling fight, however. UFC veteran Norman Parke (23-6-1 draw) will have a much-anticipated rematch against KSW lightweight champion Mateusz Gamrot (13-0). While the title was originally on the line, Parke missed weight for this event to make it a non-title affair. Both met at the massive KSW: Colisseum show earlier this past May in a controversial loss for Parke, who lost his title as a result despite a rather clear foul in which Gamrot bit Parke’s fingers. Parke has improved boxing along with his Judo and wrestling game, while Gamrot posesses a savvy ground game and great handspeed with decent movement.

A title will still be at stake when 23-year-old Brazilian flyweight champion “Violence Queen“ Ariane Lipski (9-3) defends her title against fellow Brazilian Mariana Morais (12-4). Morais has had the misfortune of being paired against more seasoned or talented opponents in jumps that she may not have been ready for at the time. That includes losses against Jennifer Maia by submission and Roxanne Modafferi by TKO, but overall a series a wins on the regional scene. Morais currently rides a two-win streak and can employ a pretty mean striking game, but may struggle against Lipski’s accuracy and speed. That nickname? Lipski earned that. This could be a sleeper with a performance in which Lipski should be expected to put on a showcase.

Former KSW middleweight champion Michal Materla (24-5) faces former UFC fighter and BOPE specialist Paulo Thiago (18-9). Thiago faltered in his first fight after his UFC release against Markus Perez last year yet bouncing back to rattle off three straight wins on the Brazilian circuit, including two consecutive submissions. Materla had been reported as being signed to the UFC a few weeks ago, only to have that fight scrapped. He returns to his old stomping grounds after a year of inactivity and with two consecutive wins over Antoni Chmielewski and former UFC fighter (and lower limb snatcher par excellence) Rousimar Palhares - both by TKO.

Opening the card will be KSW mainstay Anzor Azhiev (7-2) taking on Antun Racic (19-8-1) in what should be a thrilling bantamweight bout between two savvy fighters with great grappling chops. Azhiev has two consecutive wins, and this will be his second fight at bantamweight. If Racic sounds familiar, you may have caught an interview done last year where he trained at Team Alpha Male to improve his skills.

Also, be ready in case you haven’t viewed a KSW event before. The production work is very impressive - check out the preview trailer for this event as proof.

Full card is as follows:

Mariusz Pudzianowski vs. Jay Silva

Mateusz Gamrot vs. Norman Parke - Lightweight

Maciej Jewtuszko vs. David Zawada - Welterweight

Michał Materla vs. Paulo Thiago - Middleweight

Ariane Lipski vs. Mariana Morais - Flyweight

Konrad Iwanowski vs. Paul Lawrence - Welterweight

Michał Fijałka vs. Chris Fields - Light Heavyweight

Łukasz Chlewicki vs. Paul Redmond - Featherweight

Anzor Azhiev vs. Antun Račić - Bantamweight

The event will take place at the 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland starting at 10:00am EST this Sunday, October 22nd. Online viewing available via KSW’s official website.