Salahdine Parnasse Chokes out Sebastian Rajewski, Captures Interim Title at KSW 76

Flawless!! #KSW76

🇫🇷 @SalahdineP 👑👑 pic.twitter.com/3YJ6tJpe4q

— KSW (@KSW_MMA) November 12, 2022

Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki has its third two-division champion in promotional history.

In the KSW 76 headliner, 145-pound titleholder Salahdine Parnasse put on a surgical performance at the expense of Sebastian Rajewski with the interim lightweight championship on the line. Parnasse (17-1, 9-1 KSW) kept the contest on the feet in the opening frame to study his opponent’s reactions, then moved the action to the mat in the second period. The Frenchman came close to finishing Rajewski (12-8, 4-3 KSW) with strikes in Round 2, but the Polish fighter showed great heart and survived the storm. The pair exchanged on the feet again in the third frame, where Parnasse showcased much more polished striking skills than his foe. In the fourth, Parnasse took down Rajewski and jumped on his back. After landing some strikes, the Frenchman saw an opening for a rear-naked choke attempt, deep enough to make Rajewski tap at the 2:21 mark of Round 4. During the post-fight interview, Parnasse and linear 155-pound titleholder Marian Ziolkowski faced off in the cage in expectation of their upcoming clash to unify the championship.

The co-main event featured an intriguing matchup between welterweight surging prospects Adrian Bartosinski and Krystian Kaszubowski. Bartosinski (12-0, 4-0 KSW) took the initiative right out of the gate and moved the action to the floor, where he had the edge over his foe. Kaszubowski (10-3, 5-3 KSW) defended at his best back on the mat until he found the right scramble to get back on the feet. A few seconds later, Bartosinski forced another takedown, and this time he didn’t allow his adversary to retaliate as he poured a series of elbows and punches. The referee stopped the contest with only two seconds left in Round 1.

Controversial or not!? 🤔 #KSW76

🇵🇱 Pawel Pawlak TKO's 🇬🇧 Tom Breese in the first round! pic.twitter.com/3AQww1hMwD

— KSW (@KSW_MMA) November 12, 2022

Elsewhere, Pawel Pawlak (21-4-1, 3-0 KSW) overcame fellow Ultimate Fighting Championship alum Tom Breese (15-4, 1-1 KSW) thanks to an elbow followed by a series of punches on the mat at 3:54 in the opening frame at middleweight; Artur Szczepaniak (9-1, 2-0 KSW) knocked out Brian Hooi (18-10, 1 NC; 1-1 KSW) cold with a well-timed head kick 43 seconds into their 170-pound battle; Maciej Kazieczko (9-2, 8-2 KSW) stopped Francisco Albano Barro (10-3, 2-2 KSW) with punches at 3:20 in the third frame of their 155-pound clash; Zuriko Jojua (9-1, 2-0 KSW) outclassed former bantamweight champion Antun Racic (26-11-1, 6-3 KSW) en route to a unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27); 185-pounder Henry Fadipe (12-9-1, 1-0 KSW) forced Albert Odzimkowski (12-7, 1 NC; 1-4, 1NC KSW) to tap thanks to a Peruvian necktie maneuver 39 seconds into the second frame; Valeriu Mircea (27-8-1, 1-1 KSW) scored a highlight-reel knockout after crushing Gracjan Szadzinski (9-5, 3-4 KSW) at 1:39 in the opening frame of their 155-pound affair; heavyweight Kamil Gawryjolek (3-0, 1-0 KSW) smashed Marek Samociuk (4-3, 2-1 KSW) with punches at 4:37 in Round 1.