Eddie Hall, after defeating The Neffati Brothers in a 2-on-1 MMA fight, expressed his desire for a traditional MMA bout against fellow former World’s Strongest Man Mariusz Pudzianowski, who has been active in MMA since 2009 and is open to the challenge.
Eddie Hall hopes to give the fans what they want.
On Friday, the former World’s Strongest Man obliterated influencers The Neffati Brothers in a 2-on-1 fight at the debuting World Freak Fight League event in Blackburn, England. He landed a ridiculous powerbomb plus knockout combo that went viral for the savage absurdity of it all.
The freak show fight was Hall’s first experience in MMA — if a 2-on-1 fight can even be considered that. But the 2017 World’s Strongest Man does have some background in combat sports.
He previously boxed fellow World’s Strongest Man Thor Bjornsson in 2022. Also, he’s trained with interim UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall.
Now that he’s had a taste for MMA, it appears that the 36-year-old Hall wants more. Following his incredible performance on Friday, “The Beast” called for a more traditional MMA fight against another former World’s Strongest Man, Mariusz Pudzianowski.
“I think someone like Mariusz Pudzianowski, he’s got 20 years experience in the game,” Hall said (h/t MSN). “He’s still a big guy, still very strong and he is a hard bastard, there’s no denying that Mariusz Pudzianowski is very hard.”
“I think the fans want to see a ‘World’s Strongest Man’ vs ‘World’s Strongest Man’, so there we go. If someone can bring the right deal to the table I know Mariusz is game. He’s always in my inbox sending me fighting emojis, so maybe this is it.”
Pudzianowski is widely considered to be one of the greatest strongmen of all time. He won World’s Strongest Man five times, along with dozens of other strongman victories.
In 2009, Pudzianowski transitioned to MMA, where he has been the face of KSW ever since. Speaking with Daily Star Sport in 2022, the 47-year-old Polish fighter suggested he would be happy to fight Hall or Bjornsson, provided the bout took place in MMA.
“I’m not considering moving to boxing,” Pudzianowski said. “I have already focused on MMA and there will be no new challenge for me. MMA is probably the last challenge for me.”
“But of course, with anyone – with Eddie or Bjornsson, I would enter the cage on the principles of MMA!”
Most recently, Pudzianowski fought former boxer Artut Szpilka at KSW 83 in 2023. He lost by second-round knockout, dropping his overall career record to 17-9 with one no contest.