Eddie Hall expected to have a lot more work to do when he took on Mariusz Pudzianowski in his MMA debut on Saturday night.
2017 World’s Strongest Man winner Hall obliterated five-time WSM champion Pudzianowski within 30 seconds at KSW 105 in Gliwce, Poland. The Polish powerhouse had considerably more experience in the cage, but after turning 48 this year he had been out of action for the best part of two years.
Hall tipped the scales 67lb heavier than his rival, and showed how impactful that weight can be as he landed a big shot early. That led to him tossing Pudzianowski to the ground and finishing the fight with a series of punches which were arguably to the back of the head.
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Eddie Hall admits Mariusz Pudzianowski fight was ‘easier than expected’
From the opening bell, Eddie Hall and Mariusz Pudzianowski engaged in the centre of the cage. This played right into the Brit’s hands as he landed a massive punch early which set his rival completely off balance.
From there, he tossed aside Pudzianowski like he was considerably lighter than 267lb before finishing the fight with ground and pound. After the fight, he was asked by Polish media if he felt the fight was easier than he had expected.
“Of course,” he replied. “I expected it to go eight minutes [the bout was set for two rounds of four minutes]. I’ve done so much work on the ground wrestling on the floor, kicking, so I was expecting a lot more out of it.
“But don’t get me wrong I am super happy to take that win. The 30 seconds of madness? I’m happy with that and I’ll take that… I have got the hardest recorded punch on the planet and if that lands on your face, I don’t know who you are but you’re going down.”
Eddie Hall is keen on Mariusz Pudzianowski rematch – with one big change
Even though he won with relative ease, Hall is keen to get back in the cage with Pudzianowski for a rematch after getting the chance to debut against him. The pair are both former World’s Strongest Man champions, and their matchup attracted millions of viewers worldwide.
However, he wants one key rule change; two minute rounds instead of four. He is a massive man at over 330lb and believes it is more conducive to an exciting fight that the pair compete in shorter bursts as opposed to lengthy four-minute rounds.
“Maybe Mariusz will do the rematch with two minutes rounds,” he said. “I’ve got no aspirations to be number one in KSW. That’s just not for me. I want to come and have fun. I want to fight my heroes. I want to fight the freaks of the world.”