Two of the world’s strongest men collided in a spectacle that was less chess match, more demolition derby. Eddie Hall, 2017 World’s Strongest Man and British media personality, made his official MMA debut against Poland’s Mariusz Pudzianowski, himself a five-time World’s Strongest Man and a seasoned MMA veteran with nearly three decades of combat experience.
Eddie Hall Steamrolls Mariusz Pudzianowski in MMA Debut
The bout, staged at KSW 105 in Gliwice, Poland, was billed as the “World’s Strongest Fight,” pitting Eddie Hall’s raw power and youth against Pudzianowski’s hard-earned cage savvy, but also raw power. Eddie Hall tipped the scales at a hefty 334 pounds, faced a 67-pound weight advantage over the 48-year-old Pudzianowski, who entered with a 17-9-1 MMA record.
Despite the Polish legend’s experience, the fight was over almost as soon as it began. Eddie Hall stormed out, landed a sharp jab, then a left hook-“super short-just throws him over,” as he put it. Pudzianowski shot for a takedown, but Hall shrugged him off, sent him to the mat, and unleashed a barrage of hammer fists. “Five, six, seven… seventeen shots while he’s on the floor. That’s insane,” Hall recounted, still sounding surprised at his own handiwork.
The referee stepped in after just 30 seconds, awarding Hall a TKO victory. The aftermath, though, was not without controversy. Pudzianowski protested, claiming he’d been finished by illegal shots to the back of the head, a charge Hall didn’t dodge. “There’s been a lot of talk of back-of-the-head shots. I apologize for that. It’s just one of those things. If someone shows you the back of the head as you’re throwing fists, you’re going to hit it. It’s literally my very first MMA fight. My adrenaline was through the roof,” Hall admitted, adding, “I wouldn’t want it done to me… but these things happen. It was an accident.”
For Hall, the win was a year in the making, the product of relentless training. “We just worked very, very hard for this fight. It’s been pretty much a year in the making,” he said. Hall emphasized the importance of setting the tone early: “Whoever throws that first jab sets the pace for the fight, in my opinion.” He also credited his speed and power, which, he insists, are often underestimated, “People don’t seem to think I’m fast. I’m fast… every single person’s like, ‘[Expletive], man, you’ve got quick hands.’”
Despite the dominant win, Eddie Hall was quick to acknowledge the mountain he’d just climbed. “I’ve had zero fights and I was fighting against someone- this was his 27th MMA fight, professional MMA fight. Everything, I mean absolutely everything, was in Mariusz’s favor.” He also revealed that the referee was reportedly a friend of Pudzianowski, underscoring the odds he felt he faced.
As for what’s next, Hall isn’t chasing titles or rankings. “What excites me is the fight game. I just love fighting… What interests me is having fun and doing stuff that builds my businesses, builds my profile.” He’s open to a rematch, with shorter rounds, this time. “He called the shots last time, I call the shots this time.”
