Polish MMA promotion KSW will continue its expansion by breaking new ground in Croatia and introducing a new championship belt.
KSW officials informed MMA Junkie that their upcoming event, KSW 51, will crown the organization’s inaugural bantamweight champion, as Croatia’s Antun Racic takes on Polish UFC veteran Damian Stasiak at Arena Zagreb on Nov. 9.
Racic (23-8) is one of the top athletes to come out of Croatia in recent years and will look to write his name into the history books by capturing the inaugural KSW bantamweight title at the promotion’s first-ever show in Croatia.
Standing in his way is Stasiak (11-6), who arrives in KSW looking to make an instant impact with his new promotion. The 29-year-old from Lodz went 2-4 in the UFC, including victories over Filip Pejic and Davey Grant. His win over Pejic actually came at Arena Zagreb back in April 2016, and he will be hoping the venue proves a happy hunting ground once again as he bids to capture the KSW title.
The night’s main event features a heavyweight clash between Poland’s five-time World’s Strongest Man, Mariusz Pudzianowski (12-7), and Bosnian bodybuilding star Erko Jun (3-0). The co-headliner sees Poland’s former welterweight champion Borys Mankowski (19-8) return to action against Montenegro’s Vaso Bakocevic (39-18).
KSW 51 confirmed fights include:
- Mariusz Pudzianowski vs. Erko Jun
- Borys Mankowski vs. Vaso Bakocevic
- Antun Racic vs. Damian Stasiak – for inaugural bantamweight title
- Aleksandar Ilic vs. Cezary Kesik
