Materla welcomes UFC vet Askham to KSW in March

Scott Askham will meet one of Poland's most beloved fighters in his first walk to the KSW cage.

After inking a three-fight deal with the Polish outfit last month, the UFC alum is set to face Michal Materla in a middleweight bout at KSW 42 on March 3 in Lodz, according to MMA Fighting's Peter Carroll.

Askham, 29, was handed his walking papers last spring after losing two straight and four of six in the Octagon, but got back in the win column with a split decision over fellow UFC veteran Luke Barnatt under the ACB banner in September. He heads into enemy territory with a professional record of 15-4.

Materla had been attached to a UFC debut opposite Thiago Santos on the promotion's last visit to Poland in the fall of 2017, but ultimately opted to re-sign with his longtime home. The KSW fixture was last seen stopping ex-UFC fighter Paulo Thiago by second-round TKO in his return from a year-long layoff this past October. The victory extended his stoppage streak to three.

In the bill's main event, middleweight champion Mamed Khalidov meets light heavyweight king Tomasz Narkun at a catchweight of 198 pounds. Flyweight queen Ariane Lipski and lightweight titlist Mateusz Gamrot are also expected to compete on the card against yet-to-determined challengers.