Laid Zerhouni returns to XTB KSW 120. Bartosz Kurek to face the former title challenger

Laid Zerhouni, a recent contender for the KSW middleweight title, is returning to the ring. At XTB KSW 120, he will face the undefeated Bartosz Kurek.

TheXTB KSW 120eventwill featurea high-stakes clash in the light heavyweight division, pittingLaïd Zerhouni(15-10, 1 NC, 6 KO, 8 Sub), a former title challenger and currently ranked fourth in the division, will face off against the undefeatedBartosz Kurek (6-0, 2 KO, 1 Sub), who is ranked seventh. The fight will take place onJuly 18 at Polsat Plus Arena in Gdynia.

Laid Zerhouni returns to KSW 120

Laïd Zerhouni has fought six bouts in KSW. He last fought in December of last year, when he faced Paweł Pawlak in a title bout but was forced to concede defeat to the champion. Zerhouni is known for delivering powerful, brutal fights. In KSW, he has earned three bonuses for best knockouts, one for a submission, and one for the best fight of the night. All of his wins in the octagon have come in the first round. The Algerian-born fighter holds the championship belt of the French organization Hexagone MMA. He has fought 26 bouts in his career, winning fifteen of them. He has finished his opponents fourteen times before the final bell, and eleven of those finishes came in the first round. Zerhouni is a versatile fighter who has forced his opponents to submit eight times and knocked them out six times. 

Bartosz Kurek is going from victory to victory. He has fought four times in the octagon. He last competed there in March, when he defeated Tomasz Romanowski. Kurek has six professional bouts under his belt and remains undefeated in his professional career, which he has been pursuing since March 2023. Three of his six victories came by stoppage, and he has won twice in the first round. His knockout of Adrian Dudek last year was awarded the bonus for the best finish of the night. Before his professional debut, he also gained experience fighting as an amateur.

KSW 120: Current Fight Card

Fight of the Night:

• 93 kg/205 lb: Rafał Haratyk #C (21-5-2, 7 KO, 5 SUB) vs. Bartosz Leśko #4 (16-6-2, 2 KO, 7 SUB) – KSW Light Heavyweight Championship bout

Main page:

• 120.2 kg/265 lb: Augusto Sakai #4 (17-7-1, 11 KOs) vs. Artur Szpilka #7 (4-1, 3 KOs, 1 submission)
• 61.2 kg/135 lb: Sebastian Przybysz #1 (14-5-1, 5 KOs, 5 submissions) vs. Rogerio Bontorin #5 (17-6, 2 no contests, 3 KOs, 11 submissions)
• 93 kg/205 lb: Ibragim Chuzhigaev #2 (19-6, 1 no contest, 8 KOs, 4 submissions) vs. Maciej Różański #4 (15-6, 1 no contest, 2 KOs, 9 submissions)
• 83.9 kg/185 lb: Laid Zerhouni #4 (15-10, 1 no contest, 6 KOs, 8 submissions) vs. Bartosz Kurek #7 (6-0, 2 KOs, 1 submission)
• 77.1 kg/170 lb: Mateusz Pawlik #10 (7-2, 2 KOs, 1 submission) vs. Adam Niedźwiedź (10-4-1, 1 no contest, 1 KO, 9 submissions)
• 65.8 kg/145 lb: Oskar Stachura (2-1, 1 KO, 1 submission) vs. Grzegorz Kowalski (1-0, 1 submission)

Source: press release.