Promotion Official: Kendall Grove Meets Mamed Khalidov in New KSW 21 Headliner

Mike WhitmanNov 23, 2012



Kendall Grove will replace an injured Melvin Manhoef against Mamed Khalidov in the main event of KSW 21.

KSW co-founder Martin Lewandowski notified Sherdog.com of the booking on Friday morning. Manhoef was pulled from the bout two days ago due to a left leg injury. KSW 21 takes place Dec. 1 at Torwar Arena in Warsaw, Poland, and features a trio of championship bouts in addition to the evening’s middleweight headliner.

Grove, 29, made his name by winning “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 3 back in 2006. “Da Spyder” competed for nearly five years in the Octagon, racking up a promotional record of 7-6 before receiving his release on the heels of back-to-back losses. Following a 2-0 stint in the ProElite cage, Grove has gone 3-1 in his last four bouts, most recently earning a technical knockout over former WEC light heavyweight title challenger Ariel Gandulla on Nov. 3.

KSW’s first light heavyweight champion, Khalidov, 32, rides a five-fight winning streak heading into clash with Grove, besting a quintet of UFC veterans, including Yuki Sasaki, James Irvin, Matt Lindland and Jesse Taylor. The middleweight was last seen picking up a win on May 12, knocking out Rodney Wallace in 1:55 at KSW 19.