The first KSW event of 2023 will take place at the Netto Arena in Szczecin, Poland, on January 21. XTB KSW 78 will feature a rematch of an all-time KSW classic in the main event as former middleweight champ Michal Materla (31-9) will lock horns once again with the USA’s Kendall Grove (24-18).
The pair first met almost 10 years ago at KSW 23 in what what is infamously known as one of the bloodiest battles in KSW history. After three rounds, it was Materla who got his hand raised with a unanimous decision victory and both men were applauded for this unforgettable show of heart and will.
Materla is known as a pillar of KSW’s growth throughout the years and one of the most popular fighters in the promotion’s history. Widely regarded as one of Europe’s best middleweights, the 38-year-old has defeated the likes of Rousimar Palhares, Paulo Thiago, James Zikic, Tomasz Drwal and Rodney Wallace, over the course of his 20-year fighting career and is the longest ever reigning 185-pound champ in KSW history.
Grove is a veteran name known across the world. The Hawaiian first shot to fame by winning “The Ultimate Fighter 3” back in 2006 and would go on to have long stints in both the UFC and Bellator as well as competing in BKFC and ProElite. His long career includes victories over Evan Tanner, Alan Belcher, Joe Riggs, Minowaman, Derek Brunson, Ed Herman, and former KSW champion Goran Reljic.
XTB KSW 78 will be available to watch live on KSWTV.com and the KSW app in North America and around the world, and exclusively on Viaplay across the UK, Poland, the Netherlands, Scandinavia, and the Baltics.
The XTB KSW 78 lineup currently includes:
- Michal Materla vs. Kendall Grove
- Tomasz Romanowski vs. Radoslaw Paczuski
- Borys Mankowski vs. Valeriu Mircea
- Roman Szymanski vs. Raul Tutarauli
- Lukasz Sudolski vs. TBA
- Rafal Kijanczuk vs. Marc Doussis
- Oskar Szczepaniak vs. Raimondas Krilavicius
