Tom Aspinall has taken to social media to congratulate his pal Eddie Hall after his stunning MMA debut win.
2017 World’s Strongest Man winner Hall brutally stopped five-time champion Mariusz Pudzianowski within just 30 seconds in their super-heavyweight clash at KSW 105 on Saturday night. The Brit looked impressive and every pound of the 67lb heavier he was from their weigh-ins.
Hall has trained in the past with UFC champion Aspinall, joking that his fellow Brit made him ‘feel like a little girl’ with his dominance in grappling exchanges. The pair have remained friends, and were in contact during fight camp.
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Tom Aspinall reacts as Eddie Hall brutalizes Marius Pudzianowski in MMA debut
The footage of Eddie Hall’s brutal 30-second knockout of veteran Mariusz Pudzianowski at KSW 105 instantly went viral. Within the first few seconds of action, the Brit landed his infamous right hand that has broken records at the UFC Performance Institute and sent his rival stumbling.
When ‘Pudzian’ tried to go for some sort of desperation takedown he was flung to the ground like a much smaller man by Hall. From there, the Brit went for the ground and pound, ultimately getting the stoppage as his rival complained of shots to the back of the head.
While it was a busy night of combat with Conor Benn and Chris Eubank Jr putting on a Fight of the Year contender around the same time, the 600lb battle had a massive viewership. One keen set of eyes was Tom Aspinall, the UFC interim heavyweight champion.
Manchester native Aspinall has lots of experience with Hall, and delighted in his victory. He made a rare outing on to social media to congratulate his fellow Brit, sharing a meme showing Hall as “Me” throwing around one’s “responsibilities” with the caption: “Go on big Eddie Hall!”
Eddie Hall eyes next challenge after dominant KSW 105 win
Hall was elated after his victory, but appeared under no illusions about his place in the MMA landscape. He is nowhere near the heavyweight limit of 265lb, and believes his future is in fights with big men and ‘freaks’.
“Maybe Mariusz will do the rematch with two minutes rounds,” he told the crowd following his win. “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.”
However, Pudzianowski didn’t seem too keen on another fight, saying in his interview: “I’m not thinking about the future. I turned 48, almost 49. The sport is for young people. What’s next? I don’t know.”