The greatest fighter in KSW history turned back the clock—and won back the belt that had once been his.
In the main event of KSW 55 on Saturday, 40-year-old Mamed Khalidov returned to the cage in the wake of three straight losses and two announced retirements to face middleweight champion Scott Askham, who had thoroughly dominated him in their previous meeting at KSW 52 last December. Askham, holding the KSW middleweight title that Khalidov had vacated in 2018 to pursue a pair of champ-vs.-champ bouts with light heavyweight champion Tomasz Narkun, was the substantial favorite, but once the action began, Khalidov was the aggressor.