KSW 53 results: Mateusz Gamrot pieces up Norman Parke, earns doctor stoppage TKO win

With all the trash talk shared between them, Mateusz Gamrot had no interest in touching gloves at the beginning of his fight with Norman Parke, nor was he willing to shake his hand afterward – even after he turned his face into a mush.

On Saturday at KSW 53, Gamrot (16-0) scored a third-round doctor stoppage TKO win over Parke to stay undefeated and settle their feud in the night’s main event in Warsaw, Poland. The fight originally was scheduled to crown an interim lightweight champion, but Parke (28-7-1) missed weight.

Gamrot eventually came to his senses on holding a grudge and eventually made peace with Parke, whom he defeated once before in 2017, but only after the Englishman apologized on the mic.

“This man fought a smart game plan,” Parke said. “We thought he was gonna wrestle me a little more, but he stood. He’s an awkward striker but very efficient. He’s not called the ‘Gamer’ for nothing. I tip my hat and show respect.”

As it should be after the striking masterclass Gamrot displayed. In the first round he landed an elbow that started the damage to Parke’s right eye. Parke was patient, but so was Gamrot, who was also accurate with pot shot after pot shot.

That continued into the second round, with Gamrot’s punching accuracy on point. Parke, to his credit, kept driving forward, but Gamrot was evasive. Repeated shots caused Parke’s right eye to start closing, and Gamrot zeroed in on his target. More of the same continued in Round 3, and with 1:57 remaining, the referee asked the doctor to examine Parke, whose left eye also started to close. It was all over at that point.

“His face says everything,” Gamrot said through a translator. “The war is over. Yes, on my side, the war is over.”

Aside from Gamrot’s two victories, he and Parke also fought to a 2017 no contest because of an accidental eye poke.

Mankowski earns hard-fought decision win

Borys Mankowski and Marcin Wrzosek entered their lightweight co-headliner with bad blood delivered a scrap that resembled a war of attrition, with Mankowski (21-8-1) earning a close unanimous decision. The judges scored thee fight 29-28 across the board, and afterward Wrzosek (14-7) made it clear he took umbrage with those marks.

The two men opened the bout with a clinch battle and established a furious pace early on, constantly grappling and jockeying for position. That proved to be the theme of the fight overall.

Two head butts early in Round 2 forced temporary stops in the action. When they returned, Wrzosek was first to land a big right hand that rocked Mankowski, who adjusted and responded with a takedown, ending up in half guard. Wrzosek managed to get back to his feet after two minutes, and the two men traded blows in the final 30 seconds. Mankowski left the round with a cut in his hairline from one of the head butts.

When Round 3 rolled around, the fight seemingly was up for grabs. Mankowski and Wrzosek were content to stand and trade for the opening minute until an eye poke halted the action. When they reset, they traded more, and Mankowski was getting the better of it. Despite this, he made the smart move to separate and get back to the center, where he shot for a takedown and eventually dragged Wrzosek to the mat. The final round was tough to score, but Mankowski said afterward he was confident.

“I was sure I was the winner,” Mankowski said through a translator. “Yes, indeed. Marcin is by no means an easy opponent. He was pressuring me from the beginning. …

“I don’t bear a grudge. I don’t give a flying (expletive) about this. Your greatest opponent might be your greatest friend.”

Drwal triumphant in return

It had been five long years since Tomasz Drwal competed inside a cage, which was evident by the way he fought in the early going against Lukasz Bienkowski. Drwal looked undecided and rusty, but that all changed in a flash.

Drwal scored a finish with vicious ground-and-pound midway through the second round, earning his first victory since March 2014.

“I wanted to be quite conscious in this fight,” the Polish fighter said afterward through a translator. “He smashed me a bit in the first round, but the pressure was down later, and I was ready to fight hard in the second round.”

After a first round in which Bienkowski (5-4) was spry on his feet and repeatedly found a home for his punches, Drwal (22-5-1) turned things on in Round 2. He pressed forward in the opening moments and pressed Bienkowski against the cage, where he changed levels to score a takedown.

From there, Drwal, 38, was patient while on top, picking his spots to employ ground-and-pound until he rained hammerfists on Bienkowski, forcing the referee to step in.

“I just wanted him to lose some of his steam,” said Drwal, who was the first UFC fighter from Poland. “I could feel him punching me, but in the second round you could see the situation started changing. It was my game we were playing.”

Complete KSW 53 results include:

• Mateusz Gamrot def. Norman Parke def. TKO (doctor stoppage) – Round 3
• Borys Mankowski def. Marcin Wrzosek via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Tomasz Drwal def. Lukasz Bienkowski via TKO (strikes) – Round 2
• Andrzej Grzebyk def. Tomasz Jakubiec via knockout (punch) – Round 2
• Roman Szymanski def. Filip Pejic via TKO (strikes) – Round 3
• Artur Sowinski def. Gracjan Szadzinski TKO (strikes) – Round 1
• Michal Pietrzak def. Kamil Szymuszowski knockout (punch) – Round 1
• Sebastian Przybysz def. Jakub Wiklacz TKO (strikes) – Round 3