KSW 55: Middleweight champion Scott Askham to face Mamed Khalidov in title rematch

KSW middleweight champion Scott Askham has already defeated Mamed Khalidov once. Now he’s being asked to repeat the feat in a rematch.

British 185-pound champ Askham (19-4) defeated Khalidov (34-7-2) via unanimous decision at KSW 52 as the returning former champion was unable to mark his return from retirement with a win.

Now the pair are set to run it back in the main event at KSW 55, which takes place Oct. 10 in Warsaw, Poland. The event will be streamed live via the promotion’s online pay-per-view platform.

Askham has gone undefeated since he left the UFC back in March 2017, and has racked up five straight victories, including four wins under the KSW banner. He captured the vacant middleweight title with a flying-knee finish of former champion Michal Materla at KSW 49 in May 2019, then solidified his status as the promotion’s premier middleweight with a strong display to outpoint Khalidov on the scorecards last December,

That loss to Askham extended Khalidov’s losing streak to three, having previously lost back-to-back bouts to light heavyweight champion Tomasz Narkun in a pair of catchweight bouts in 2018. The Russian-born Pole announced his retirement after the second Narkun loss, but walked back that decision to face Askham for the chance to become a two-time middleweight champion.

Now Khalidov will challenge Askham again as he attempts to reclaim his title at the second time of asking. For Askham, meanwhile, it’s a chance to score back-to-back wins over the top name in KSW’s middleweight division and set up a potential champion-versus-champion clash with Narkun later this year.