KSW is set for their first crowd-attended show of 2021 with KSW 61 taking place Saturday, June 05, 2021, inside the Ergo Arena in Gdansk, Poland. Though the nine-fight card does not have any championship fights, several former world champions will be competing on the card. The main event will feature World’s Strongest Man winner and longtime KSW veteran Mariusz Pudzianowski battling KSW’s longest-tenured current fighter, Lukasz Jurkowski, veteran since KSW 1. The co-main event on the night will showcase the return of former featherweight champion Salahdine Parnasse as he battles Croatian veteran Filip Pejic.
Main Event- Mariusz Pudzianowski vs Lukasz Jurkowski
Mariusz Pudzianowski
There is no doubt when Mariusz Pudzianowski steps into the KSW cage, power is the essence. Pudzianowski is the owner of the most World’s Strongest Man titles with five. Not only does Pudz’s strength make him dangerous in the cage, but his intelligence is equally as dangerous. He holds a master’s degree in International Relations.
Currently with a record of 14-7 (1 NC), Pudz’s KSW debut came at KSW 12 in December 2009, which was also his MMA debut. With all but one of his career bouts taking place in the KSW cage, Pudz won the Knockout of the Night award at KSW 31 where he knocked out Rolles Gracie Jr. After losing two bouts in a row, Pudz has turned it around winning his last two bouts, both by knockout.
Lukasz Jurkowski
You will be hard-pressed to find a fighter who is still fighting for a long-running organization since its day-one show. Lukasz Jurkowski is just that, competing with KSW since KSW 1, which took place in February 2004. The early days of KSW were similar to that of the UFC where a one-night tournament was held. Jurkowski actually won KSW’s first tournament, winning three fights in one night. He also participated in KSW’s most successful show to date, KSW 39, which is the second-biggest attended MMA event in history with an attendance of 57,776. It will be a bit over two years since his last bit of competition, last competing, and earning a victory at KSW 48 in April 2019.
Co-Main Event Battle of Featherweights
Salahdine Parnasse (14-1-1) will return to the KSW cage for the first time since losing his title at KSW 58 in January of this year. Prior to the loss, KSW was 5-0 in the organization with one successful title defense. The young French phenom striker will hope to rebound as he battles Filip Pejic (15-4-2), who is on the opposite end of the spectrum, coming off of a 12-second knockout victory. Momentum means a lot in this sport and if Pejic can ride that to a victory over the former champion, Pejic may find himself in title talks. If the former champion can secure the victory, he may be competing for his championship again, sooner rather than later.
Other Fighters to Keep an Eye On at KSW 61
Michal Kita (Heavyweight)
Former heavyweight title challenger Michal Kita (20-12-1) will hope to make another ascent up the heavyweight ladder and earn another shot at the KSW gold. Kita is a dominant finisher with 17 of his 20 career professional wins coming by the finish, 12 by KO/TKO. After earning two wins in a row by first-round knockouts, Kita earned a title shot against Phil de Fries in his last outing but was unable to earn the gold. Kita is eager to take the title and the journey starts now if he wants to make another run before it’s time to hang it up.
Patrik Kincl (Welterweight)
With 17 of his 23 wins coming by finish, Patrik Kincl (23-9) will hope to build off of his first-round knockout KSW debut victory at KSW 57 in December 2020.
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