Khalidov, Sakurai Draw; Pudzianowski Outpoints Kawaguchi

KATOWICE, Poland -- After battling for 18 minutes, Mamed Khalidov and Ryuta Sakurai were handed a draw at KSW 13 “Kumite” on Friday. Khalidov, the reigning KSW light heavyweight champion, had a difficult time with the ultra-resilient Sakurai, who threatened Khalidov with a first-round kimura attempt from the bottom.

In the second round, Khalidov responded in kind with a tightly-squeezed guillotine he held onto for about two minutes. Khalidov attempted guillotine chokes two more times in the third round, but Sakurai's defense remained impenetrable.

In a three-minute overtime period, both managed takedowns, but it was Sakurai who had effective offense when on top. Nevertheless, it was not enough and the fight was ultimately ruled a draw.

Khalidov told Sherdog.com afterward that he felt the bout was inconclusive and that he’d be open to the rematch. Sakurai was visibly displeased and reiterated that he believes he was the winner.

The second Polish-Japanese showdown saw champion Strongman Mariusz Pudzianowski earn a unanimous decision victory over Deep Megaton champion Yusuke Kawaguchi. The Polish bodybuilder rushed his opponent at the opening bell and took him down with a lateral drop, but Kawaguchi proved tougher than anticipated. A quickly gassing Pudzianowski had to dig deep to keep control of the fight after he failed to finish with the opening salvo. The Japanese import got some strikes in on the five-time World’s Strongest Man in the second round, but Pudzianowski scored two takedowns, likely the convincing factor for the judges, who ruled in favor of the crowd's favorite.

Pudzianowski admitted he was looking to finish Kawaguchi inside two or three minutes and was surprised by his toughness. In light of this performance, Pudzianowski was asked about his upcoming fight against former UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia at Moosin “God of Martial Arts” on May 21 in Worcester, Mass.

“I don't know how it's going to go, but I'll fight him to the end,” said Pudzianowski.

Krzysztof KuÅ‚ak, one of Poland’s most experienced fighters, won the promotion’s middleweight title with a three-round decision over one-dimensional grappler Vitor Nobrega. Kulak pot-shotted the Brazilian in the stand-up and managed to stall him enough when taken down to get back to his feet, courtesy of the referee.

In the promotion's new 95-kilogram (209-pound) tournament, Jan Blachowicz sprang back to action after nursing a lengthy knee injury. In his first two fights following more than a year the sidelines, Blachowicz didn't lose a step. He knocked out undefeated Brazilian Julio Brutus with a high kick-right hook combination at 3:40 in the first round. In his second fight of the night, Blachowicz submitted training partner Wojciech Orlowski with a rear-naked choke in quick fashion 1:37 into the first round. Blachowicz will face Daniel Tabera, who advanced in the other tournament bracket, in the finals tentatively scheduled for September.

Other Bouts
Daniel Tabera def. Attila Vegh -- Submission (Kneebar) 4:57 R1
David Olivia def. Konstantin Gluhov -- Decision
Wojciech Orlowski def. Tomasz Molski -- TKO (Strikes) 1:07 R1
Attila Vegh def. Lukasz Skibski -- TKO (Strikes) 4:53 R1
Daniel Tabera def. Grigor Aschugbabjan -- Decision