Michal Materla Crushes Kendall Grove in KSW 78 Rematch

No doubt this time! XTB #KSW78

🇵🇱 Michal Materla finishes a valiant 🇺🇸 Kendall Grove! pic.twitter.com/gAyTDxbJwY

— KSW (@KSW_MMA) January 21, 2023

A rematch nearly 10 years in the making headlined KSW 78 as Michal Materla locked horns with Kendall Grove.

The emotionally charged second clash between “Cipao” and “Da Spyder” ended with another victory for Materla (32-9, 21-7 KSW). Unlike their first fight—a bloody affair that ended with Materla pocketing a unanimous decision victory at KSW 23 in 2013—the Polish fighter finished his foe inside the distance this time. 40-year-old Grove (24-19, 1 NC, 0-3 KSW) made his cage return after a three-year hiatus but showcased decent condition and performance for as long as he survived in the 195-pound catchweight affair, blocking all his foe’s takedown attempts in the opening frame. Materla’s punching power was the key in the contest as he adopted a different game plan in Round 2, attacking Grove with punches and knocking him down. While Grove recovered from the subsequent assault, Materla kept scoring with his left hand on different occasions until he dropped Grove once more. On the canvas, Materla finished the job with a series of punches. Referee Tomasz Bronder halted the contest at the 4:27 mark of Round 2.

𝗧𝗼𝗺𝗮𝘀𝘇 '𝗧𝗢𝗠𝗠𝗬' 𝗥𝗼𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗼𝘄𝘀𝗸𝗶!!!

Incredible victory!! XTB #KSW78 pic.twitter.com/X6GmAA2XHD

— KSW (@KSW_MMA) January 21, 2023

The co-headliner featured an intriguing 185-pound affair between Tomasz Romanowski and Radoslaw Paczuski. The pair kept the fight on the feet for three rounds, putting on a striking contest. Romanowski (17-9, 1 NC; 6-1 KSW) showcased good footwork and mobility, landing more shots than his opponent thanks to his speed. In the second, “Tommy” clipped his foe on the chin with a nice left overhand that immediately dropped Paczuski. In turn, Paczuski (5-1, 2-1 KSW) bounced back following the knockdown and retaliated with punches that opened a cut above Romanowski’s right eyebrow. The pace decreased in the third, where Romanowski controlled his Paczuski from afar. When the dust settled, the cage announcer revealed Romanowski took home a split-decision victory.

𝐀𝐑𝐌𝐁𝐀𝐑!!! 😵 XTB #KSW78

🇵🇱 RomanSzymanski is on a tear! pic.twitter.com/IoV4OJn6xs

— KSW (@KSW_MMA) January 21, 2023

Elsewhere, Roman Szymanski (17-6, 9-3 KSW) forced Raul Tutarauli (31-7, 0-1 KSW) to tap to an armbar 65 seconds into their lightweight tilt; 155-pounder Valeriu Mircea (28-8-1, 2-1 KSW) wrecked former KSW welterweight champ Borys Mankowski (22-11-1, 11-8 KSW) with punches at 4:22 of Round 1; former Jungle Fight 205-pound titleholder Kleber Raimundo Silva (21-12, 1-0 KSW) rendered Lukasz Sudolski (10-2, 0-1 KSW) unconscious with punches 40 seconds out of the gate in the second period; Rafal Kijanczuk (11-6, 1-2 KSW) crushed Marc Doussis (8-2, 1NC; 1-2 KSW) with punches at 2:03 of the opening frame at light heavyweight; Lukasz Rajewski (12-8, 1 NC; 5-5 KSW) smashed Sahil Siraj (7-2, 0-1 KSW) with punches at 4:05 of Round 1 in their lightweight clash; 155-pounder Oskar Szczepaniak (4-1, 1-1 KSW) did enough to take home a unanimous decision victory over Raimondas Krilavicius (6-3-1, 1NC; 0-1 KSW); Borys Dzikowski (3-0, 2-0 KSW) outpointed Andre Langen (1-1, 0-1 KSW) on all scorecards at middleweight.