Mariusz Pudzianowski is set to continue his legendary combat sports career in 2025.
The five-time World’s Strongest Man will face Eddie Hall, who has also won the competition, in an MMA fight at KSW 105 at the PreZero Arena in Gliwice, Poland on April 26.
Hall’s only martial arts experience came when he took part in a bizarre 2 vs 1 fight last year.
In contrast, Mariusz Pudzianowski is a 27-fight MMA veteran, who has been competing in the sport since 2009 and holds a famous 75-second win over boxing icon Butterbean.
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Mariusz Pudzianowski shock loss to heavyweight boxer
Many fans assumed Pudzianowski’s MMA career was over after he suffered a shock loss in June 2023.
The 48-year-old was a big favorite when he squared off against ex-boxer Artur Szpilka at KSW 85.
Szpilka boasted a MMA 2-0 record, but he was most known for his 24-5 run in the sport of boxing where he shared the ring with many top contenders, such as Bryant Jennings, Tomasz Adamek, Adam Kownacki, and Derek Chisora.
However, he’s mostly remembered for suffering a bad knockout loss against Deontay Wilder in 2016.
Szpilka seemed set for another famous defeat after being dominated by ‘Pudzian’ in the first round of their fight.
The former strongman acquired full mount early and rained down punches, which cut his opponent’s face and left fans totally dismissing the idea of a potential comeback.
Everything changed in the first few seconds of round two as Szpilka landed the perfect clean shot while Pudzianowski tried to close the distance. It dropped him to the floor like a sack of bricks before veteran referee Marc Goddard almost immediately stepped in to wave off the contest and confirm a shock upset.
Pudzianowski hasn’t fought since, and it seemed like his MMA career was over until Hall said otherwise.
Eddie Hall’s world record punch
Last year, Alex Pereira broke the hardest punch world record on the UFC’s PowerKube, which was previously set by Francis Ngannou, hitting it with an astonishing force of 191,796 units of power.
However, while possessing undeniable dynamite in his hands, the UFC 313 headliner’s record is no longer, as Hall shattered it in April 2024.
The fearsome athlete landed with a force of 208,901, cementing his place as the most powerful puncher on planet Earth.
“So, I did the Powerkube thing at the UFC, where you punch the cube,” Hall said in an interview with Michael Bisping. “So, I’ve got the highest score on that right now. It’s something like 210,000 (official score – 208,901).
“Alex Pereira had the record for ages, he had 190,000, and then I came along and smashed it, so I was quite proud of myself.
“That cube is on the wall, and the thing is everyone is like, ‘Alex Pereira only hit it once’. I’m telling you now, I’ve been in that center, and they queue up all f—— day hitting that f—— thing.
“So, the fact that I just walked in smashed it a few times and hit 210, I was like, ‘F— you guys’, They can stand there all day and try and beat it and they won’t f—— get it