Middleweight champion Scott Askham was forced to go the the distance for the first time in his KSW tenure by returning legend Mamed Khalidov.
Even so, Askham was the victor of the catchweight clash in the main event of KSW 52 in Gliwice, Poland on Saturday. Following the contest, Askham called for a champion-versus-champion showdown with light heavyweight titleholder, Tomasz Narkun.
Khalidov forced a stellar grappling performance from the English fighter as he immediately landed a takedown and threatened with a heel hook in the opening minute of the contest. After setting a frantic pace from the bottom over the first five minutes, Khalidov tired at a much more rapid rate than the imposing champion as the fight wore on.