Some lights shine so brightly that they simply cannot be eclipsed completely, that seems to be the case with Swedish fan favourite Nabbe Malki (2-1), who will make a quick turnaround and welcome Poland's Artur Niebrzydowski (2-3) to Fight Club Rush!
Malki vs Niebrzydowski goes down as catch weight bout at 81 kilograms and will take place on the main card for FCR 20 on June first at ABB Arena in Västerås, Sweden.
With his strong ties to Swedish football club Hammarby IF Malki had an almost built-in following that accompanied his MMA career - but he has proven that he deserves those acolytes.
With amateur wins over the likes of Michael Kouamé and Christian Stigenberg, Malki established himself as a prospect to watch. His much-anticipated pro debut occurred at FCR 13 against arch rival Taylan Isik - a fight that Malki won via first round knockout.
After that Malki suffered a shocking first round loss to Ebrima Faal at FCR 16. Not wanting to dwell in the dampness of defeat Malki got right back to training, gearing up for a bout at FCR 17.
Facing Brazilian grappler Maycon James, Malki delivered perhaps his most defining performance to date - knocking out his foe in the first round and celebrating atop the cage with tears of joy running down his face.
Malki was set to face Finnish Mika Kallio at FCR 19 after that, but was forced out of the bout after tearing his bicep. Rehabilitation has been coming along smoothly, however, and Malki is now ready for a quicker turnaround than first expected.
Polish grappler Niebrzydowski is a purple belt in BJJ, competing actively on the Polish grappling scene.
Suffering a knockout loss in his pro MMA debut Niebrzydowski decided to improve his striking, even taking a kickboxing bout which he won via knockout in just 40 seconds!
After that Niebrzydowski lined up two straight wins, one via submission, but has since suffered back-to-back defeats - most recently against promising prospect Tomasz Ostrowski, who holds a four fight win streak with all finishes.
Malki is hoping to stay consistent and build up a win streak, however the grappling prowess of Niebrzydowski threatens that. Tune in on June first to see how this catchweight bout turns out.