Salahdine Parnasse Chokes Out Daniel Rutkowski, Notches 145-Pound Title Defense at KSW 68

He does it again!! Another incredible performance from @SalahdineP #KSW68 pic.twitter.com/dEAqJBQfos

— KSW (@KSW_MMA) March 19, 2022

Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki returned to the Sports Hall in Radom, Poland, for a fight night full of finishes.

The KSW 68 headliner saw two-time KSW 145-pound titleholder Salahdine Parnasse putting his championship on the line against Daniel Rutkowski. Parnasse (17-1-1, KSW 8-1) attempted to rely on his remarkable grappling skills right out of the gate but was easily denied by Rutkowski, who kept the fight standing. The Frenchman adapted to the situation by attacking with his jab, but it was Rutkowski (13-3, 1-1 KSW) who dictated the pace and picked the place of the fight. Thanks to an aggressive striking mixed with some fine grappling activity, Rutkowski was arguably ahead on the scorecards going into the championship rounds.

In the first seconds of the fourth frame, Parnasse caught his adversary with a head kick, sending Rutkowski immediately to the canvas. The French champion rushed to finish his opponent with a battery of punches, but Rutkowski escaped in the first moment by moving towards the cage and using it to get back on the feet. Sensing a certain urgency to finish his foe, Parnasse captured Rutkowski’s back and sank a rear-naked choke attempt. The submission was tight enough to force Rutkowski to tap, silencing the fans in the arena who were visibly cheering for the hometown hero. The official time indicated 67 seconds of Round 4. During his post-fight celebration, Parnasse challenged 155-pound kingpin Marian Ziolkowski for a battle.


In the co-main event, Tomasz Romanowski and Michal Pietrzak fought for three rounds in a 176-pound catchweight bout. Both contestants opted to keep the fight on the feet as they stood and traded blows in the center of the cage. As time went by, it became clear that Romanowski (15-8, 3-1 KSW) had an edge over his foe, as his punches impacted more frequently and more clearly than Pietrzak’s offerings. For his part, Pietrzak (10-5-1, 2-2-1 KSW) looked to find the big shot to end the clash, especially in the third frame. After three rounds, the ring announcer revealed 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28 scorecards in favor of Romanowski. In the post-fight interview, “Tommy” asked for a clash with two-division champion Roberto Soldic.

HUGE KNOCKOUT!!

@d_janikowski #KSW68 pic.twitter.com/quSUeLq8BJ

— KSW (@KSW_MMA) March 19, 2022

Elsewhere, 2012 Olympic bronze medalist Damian Janikowski (7-4, 7-4 KSW) knocked Tomasz Jakubiec (10-4, 0-2 KSW) out cold with an overhand right at 3:42 mark of Round 1 in their middleweight encounter; Ricardo Prasel (12-3, 1-0 KSW) scored an impressive comeback and forced a stoppage on Michal Kita (21-14-1, 3-5 KSW) with punches and elbows two minutes into the second frame of their heavyweight tilt; 145-pounder Patryk Kaczmarczyk (8-1, 2-1 KSW) stopped Michal Domin (4-3, 1-2 KSW) thanks to punches from the back position at the 2:15 mark in the second stanza; Albert Odzimkowski (12-6, 1-3 KSW) crushed Tommy Quinn (8-6, 0-1 KSW) with ground-and-pound action at 2:21 of the first frame of their middleweight encounter; Rafal Kijanczuk (11-4, 1-0 KSW) smashed Yann Kouadja (8-5, 0-1 KSW) with punches at the 2:03 mark of Round 1 in a 205-pound affair; featherweight Piotr Kacprzak (7-3, 1-0 KSW) outpointed Jose Marcos Lima Santiago Jr. (11-5, 0-1 KSW) on all the judges’ scorecards (30-27, 30-27 and 30-27) at light heavyweight and Adam Tomasik (6-1, 1-1 KSW) upended Marcin Trzcinski (1-2, 0-2 KSW) via unanimous decision with three 30-27 nods from the judges.