2017 World’s Strongest Man Eddie Hall defeated strongman legend Mariusz Pudzianowski by technical knockout in their mixed martial arts encounter on Saturday, April 26, 2025. The bout was a part of Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki (KSW)’s KWS 105 event in PreZero Arena Gliwice in Gliwice, Poland.
The fight was scheduled for two four-minute rounds. Hall only needed 30 seconds to finish against the five-time World’s Strongest Man winner. The whole fight can be seen in Hall’s Instagram reel below:
After the fighters touched gloves, Pudzianowski swung wildly at Hall, clubbing his back. This opened the door for Hall to go inside and swing away, pressuring Pudzianowski against the cage. Hall stayed on Pudzianowski, swinging for a quick finish.
Pudzianowski attempted a takedown, but Hall tossed him across the cage, got on top, and delivered several unmatched punches.
Pudzianowski rolled onto his stomach to protect himself, but some of Hall’s punches connected to the back of his head. After being warned by the referee, Hall shifted to punching toward Pudianowski’s face.
All Pudianowski could do was cover up. Since he did not return any offense, the referee stopped the fight.
Hall entered the cage with a 30-kilogram weight advantage, checking in at 151 kilograms to Pudzianowski’s 121. The 37-year-old Hall was also 11 years younger than his opponent.
Pudzianowski had much more MMA experience with a record of 17 wins, nine losses, and one no-contest. This was his first fight since June 2023, when he lost to Artur Szpilka. Pudzianowski’s record falls to 17-10-1. Hall is 1-0 in his MMA career.
Some fans were concerned about the punches to the back of the head. Hall reportedly apologized to his opponent privately and spoke out in a post-fight interview that can be seen on his Facebook page.
When he was on the floor, I was hammer fisting. My apologies, my first fight; I hit him once or twice in the back of the head and heard the ref shout at me.
—Eddie Hall
Hall shared that he may have injured his right hand in the fight, but he was unsure to what degree. Hall previously competed and won in a two-on-one exhibition bout, but that does not count toward his official record. Hall had shared that he would like to fight again in the future.
This was not Hall’s first time trading fists with a fellow World’s Strongest Man winner. He and 2018 champion Hafthor Bjornsson famously took part in a boxing match to settle a feud that lasted several years. Bjornsson won that fight by unanimous decision.
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Featured Image: @eddiehallwsm on Instagram
