KSW 101: Le Classique Preview; Parnasse v Varela in Europe’s biggest indoor arena

Friday evening will see the final KSW show of the year take place in Paris, France. KSW 101 goes down in La Ville Lumière, with all lights shining on the famous La Defènse Arena in the Nanterre area of the city. The venue is the largest indoor arena in Europe. Ten fights are scheduled in Paris’ business district, with one international title bout under KSW mixed martial arts rules. The French commission has yet to bring in the newest unified rules so 12-6 elbows are still banned and the new downed opponent directive will not be in effect.

This area of Paris is most noted for La Grande Arche and the twenty skyscrapers that dominate the skyline, however Friday will see a man who stands taller than the lot. Salahdine Parnasse (19-2) hails from nearby Aubervilliers and is one of the brightest lights in a city renowned for them. The Lion of Atlas is the premier mixed martial artist representing the tricolour. Once that cage door shuts, The Prince of Pain goes to work like no other, painting works of art that would hold pride of place in the Louvre. The 27-year-old has better footwork than any dancer in the Moulin Rouge, with perfect distance control and timing, technique and skill, all topped with a je ne sais quoi. The Frenchman is elite and wears you down on the feet, sometimes going 1789 on you by taking your neck, or ever increasingly by unleashing a true work of art with his striking. This will be the second defence of his KSW Lightweight championship, the first was back in Paris in April with a spectacular head kick knockout win over Valeriu Mircea. He is also the KSW Featherweight belt holder. Wilson Varela (12-6) comes in confident and full of belief that he can beat Parnasse in his backyard. Hailing from Marseille in the southern part of the country, a classic rivalry between cities known as Le Classique in France will add spice to this matchup. The 29-year-old is an impressive 4-1 under the KSW banner and has won his last six contests. The Frenchman has a powerful kickboxing game, most notably his ripping body kicks and  a big left hand that is as devastating as they come. He does possess a submission threat, usually in the form of the rear naked choke and guillotine.

Marcin Held (29-10) is a man who comes in with the reputation of being one of his nation’s best BJJ players on the MMA scene. The Pole is a veteran of the UFC, PFL and Bellator, and he hails from the town that created Tyskie beer. The Ankos MMA man is a high level black belt with a solid wrestling game to back it up. The 32-year-old is competitive on the feet and can use every bit of his experience to manage decisions. He’s a hard out for anyone. Davy Gallon is a tough veteran of the European scene, and has also appeared in Bellator. The Frenchman is 3-2-1 in his last six bouts, with some losses to top regional talent. The 35-year-old is fun in kickboxing exchanges, throwing powerful strikes and sometimes unleashing some fun moves such as his rolling thunder KO over Ross Pearson. The Caen man is a good wrestler with some great leg lock attempts.

Ramzan Jembiev (5-2) has been making waves in KSW since his debut where he knocked out his opponent flush with a head kick back in 2023. The 25-year-old trains with Parnasse out in Aubervilliers and made his name on the underground scene with King of the Streets. The Frenchman throws hard in the striking game and has highlight reel intentions with every blow. His submission game is improving all the time. El Hadji Ndiaye (6-2) is a Cage Warriors veteran who’s only kryptonite so far seems to be from men called Adam, losing to both Adam Shelley and Adam Cullen in the yellow gloves. Everything else has been wins, and he’s usually dominated grappling exchanges to do so, along with his vicious ground and pound. The 33-year-old is competitive on the feet, but lacks in finishing threat. The Senegalese born Frenchman’s method of victory is usually a decision.

Artur Szczepaniak (11-3) will once again galavant over the Belgian border to display his exciting fighting style. The 28-year-old is a Cage Warriors veteran and 4-2 under the KSW banner. The Pole calls Gent his home and he hasn’t seen a judge’s scorecard in the promotion. “King Artur” is a devastating kickboxer with huge stopping power, and his grappling is always improving, with a lovely Brabo choke win last time out. He’s aggressive, varies his attacks and is always looking to finish. Alex Lahoré (25-10) is a former BAMMA champion and a veteran of the European scene, and he steps in as a late notice replacement. The 34-year-old was born in England and is of Ivorian and French heritage. “Da Killa King” is very experienced and has appeared on Cage Warriors, Bellator and Oktagon shows, and is on loan from Brave CF. He’s a one hitter quitter, with massive punching power and a slick guillotine in his locker.

Laïd Zerhouni (13-9) is a man with no fear and is willing to run head first into a firefight. The 29-year-old is of Algerian heritage and trains out of Montpellier in the south of the country. The Frenchman is all action and a risk taker with a massive punch with lights out power. From the submission side of things, he’s usually a rear naked choke guy, but may go for some arm locks. Alain Van Der Merckt (8-0) makes his debut and comes in with a great reputation. The 31-year-old arrives from LFL where he was a champion and tore through the opposition. The Belgian dominated with submissions early in his pro run, specialising in arm triangles and rear naked chokes. His striking has been a lot more dangerous lately and he’s learned to let his hands go and starch people. That leaves him with four submission wins and four knockout victories, a complete martial artist.

Mikael Lebout (23-12-3) is a pioneer of French MMA, and is a veteran of the UFC, Cage Warriors, Ares and Oktagon. The 37-year-old is as tough a veteran as they come, and he uses that hard nosed approach to drag you to a decision most of the time. The Frenchman’s main threat is submissions on the back of his wrestling, earning nine tap out victories. He’s competitive on the feet but doesn’t have that much power. Roman Debienne (10-5) has appeared in the PFL, Bellator and Oktagon. The Frenchman is a heavy hitting kickboxer with a big ground and pound threat in wrestling exchanges. He’s aggressive early, goes all out for the finish and flies out of the gates, and sometimes gets caught as a result.

Alioune Nahaye (14-4) comes in from Ares where he went an impressive 3-1. The Frenchman is an exciting striker with flashy finishes. Nine wins have come via knockout, the last of which was a corker of a flying knee. The 33-year-old also hammers opponents with kicks to the legs and body. He’s got decent submission ability but it’s years since we’ve seen him use it in a meaningful way. Eduard Kexel (10-1) makes the trip west to make his debut. The German is an IMMAF amateur veteran and comes in from Oktagon. He’s a solid kickboxer with good punching, but lacks a bit of a finishing touch and has gone to six decisions. His last fight saw him pick up his first submission, a rear naked choke.

Nacim Belhouachi (3-3) comes in from Hexagone, one of France’s top promotions. The Frenchman is a submission player, with all his wins coming via tap out. Rear naked choke is his favourite sub with the arm triangle coming a close second. He’s fallen into a couple of guillotines in his defeats so far, so needs to correct that sharpish. Damien Peltier (10-9) steps in to take this on less than a week’s notice. The Frenchman is a submission expert, with eight tap outs on his record. The 30-year-old has a big bag of tricks, particularly in the choke game. He has a wonderful triangle choke, a mean guillotine, as well as snatching necks in scrambles from north/south and anaconda positions. He’s won four of his last five, which is his best run as a pro.

Amaury Wako (2-0), or Wako Zabo as he’s more affectionately known as, trains out of Paris and had a stellar amateur career. The Frenchman showed good wrestling and submissions back then, with a lethal arm triangle in particular. As a pro, he showcased knockout power in his debut in the very first round. Alongside his grappling, he loves smashing with ground and pound. Maciej Rębacz (debut) also had a long amateur career and is ready to start getting paid for his efforts. The Pole represented his nation at IMMAF level and has a good nose for the back take and synching in the choke. He’s also competed in amateur kickboxing, which he’s used to help him to many decisions in the big gloves. Let’s see how he does in the four-ounce variety.

Zakaria Hamou (2-0) is another coming in from Hexagone and he had an exciting amateur career where he was a constant finisher, not always common at that level. The Frenchman secured knockout victories regularly with the bigger gloves. The 23-year-old is also a slick submission player, with the ability to choke you from any angle. Andrzej Karkula (2-0) trains out of Grappling Kraków and hails from Nowy Targ. The Pole has mostly shown his prowess in MMA so far. He comes in from Silesian MMA, scoring a submission victory by choke in his debut, and following it up with a decision win. As an amateur, he regularly finished people with submissions in the first round. This will be his first fight in a year.

KSW 101 is live from Paris at 18:00 Dublin time this Friday night and the PPV can be purchased at KSWTV.com. If you’re looking for a taste of what’s to come, the first two fights will air for free on Youtube, as well as the infamous KSW opening ceremony, which will feature French rapper Gazo.