Mariusz Pudzianowski is a former five-time World Strongest Man title winner and one of the best strength athletes of his generation. Now an MMA Super Heavyweight sensation, the Polish monster has made his home in combat sports in the Polish MMA promotion KSW, a regional European promotion known for producing notable prospects and stars such as former UFC champion Jan Blachowicz and lightweight prospect Mateusz Gamrot.
With Pudzianowski now fighting in MMA for over a decade and his upcoming super fight against the legendary British Strongman Eddie Hall in a freak show super fight, it’s time to see the best fights in the Polish icon’s surprisingly long career.
5. A beatdown over Bob Sapp
Bob Sapp is a fighter who tarnished his once good image and was once in a similar position as Pudzianowski, a giant specimen of man who chose to be a fighter. In their face-off back in 2012, Mariusz Pudzianowski showed the difference between the two not just in heart but in fighting ability, as the Polish powerhouse showed off his array of striking skills and even a crazy takedown against the weak-willed giant Bob Sapp, before pounding him out in a complete showcase for Pudzianowski.
4. Putting a Rolles Gracie to sleep quickly
Back in 2015, Mariusz Pudzianowski would face off with Rolles Gracie of the legendary Gracie family, a veteran of ONE Championship with a record of 8-2 at the time. Despite the grappling acumen, Pudzianowski’s experience and lack of respect for the Gracie name led him to blitz the grappling specialist and put him down and out—an impressive showing for the strongman against one of the most infamous clans in combat sports.
3. Proving he’s more than a strongman against Jay Silva.
In 2018, Mariusz Pudzianowski would show that he’s more than a brute who uses his physicality to bully opponents and score big knockouts, as when he faced UFC and Bellator vet Jay Silva, a fighter known for his finishing ability. The Polish Strongman would take a different and impressive approach, as he would take the striker down and showcase his grappling ability, which mixed with his incredible strength made for a tough fight for Silva, who struggled to keep the strongman off of him. Pudzianowski would score a patient and intelligent win over a dangerous Silva, proving that he is a real martial arts student, growing as a fighter in all aspects.
2. One-punch knockout over the giant Serigne Dia
In 2021, Pudzianowski would face the gigantic Senegalese wrestler Serigne Dia, a fighter who has faced the likes of the ONE Heavyweight MMA world champion Reug Reug in Senegalese wrestling, so another specialist for the strongman to face. Despite the size difference and Serigne Dia having a more proper martial arts background, Mariusz Pudzianowski would make easy work of the African giant. Putting him to sleep in one crushing punch, an insane display of his “Polish power” as former UFC champion Jan Blachowicz has coined it.
1. A knockout over a former KSW champion in Michał Materla.
In the best win in his career against the former KSW Middlweight champion Michal Materla, Pudzianowski’s most credentialed opponent in the sport of MMA. In what seemed to be a fight in which the lighter man would be the more skilled fighter, Pudzianowski surprised everyone when he scored a perfectly timed and placed uppercut on Materla, putting him to sleep in one punch, and following up with a vicious follow-up shot to end Materla’s night. An incredible showcase of fight IQ from the strongman and easily his best win.
Mariusz Pudzianowski and Eddie Hall are the freak-show fights that MMA needs.
Freak show fights are often frowned upon in MMA, mostly for good reason, as they often tend to be farcical circus acts that do nothing for the sport. However, this is different. Eddie Hall has proven himself to be serious about his martial arts growth, crossing over with the likes of Tom Aspinall and Rico Verhoeven. Mariusz Pudianowski has proven himself on the European MMA scene. So this matchup isn’t likely to be an overhyped and underdelivering product like we often see with these events.
With two strongmen who are students of the martial arts and willing to prove themselves in MMA against fellow strongmen, this may be the most interesting freak show fight of this decade.
