The most anticipated fight night of the strength sports world happens today. On Saturday, Sept. 18, 2021, 2018 World’s Strongest Man (WSM) champion Hafthor “The Mountain” Björnsson versus Devon “No Limits” Larratt headlines a stacked fight card in Dubai, UAE, that features a total of nine bouts. The card also includes a special “CrossFit” bout between CrossFit Games veterans Josh Bridges and Jacob Heppner.
All nine fights will be available to watch via pay-per-view on CoreSports.world for $9.99 plus tax. The full fight card is the following:
CoreSports — Fight Night 3 | Full Card
- Main Event — Hafthor Björnsson vs. Devon Larratt
- 4 p.m. EST (12 a.m. GST)
- CrossFit Bout — Jacob Heppner vs. Josh Bridges
- 3:20 p.m. EST (11:20 p.m. GST)
- Lightweight — Anthony de Bruijn vs. Giorgi Gachechiladze
- 2:35 p.m. EST (10:35 GST)
- Heavyweight — Martin Bakole vs. Haruna Osumanu
- 1:40 p.m. EST (9:40 GST)
- Featherweight — Stefi Cohen vs. Marcela Nieto
- 1:15 p.m. EST (9:15 GST)
- Bantam — Avril Mathie vs. Jesca Mfinanga
- 12:45 p.m. EST (8:45 GST)
- Super Middleweight — Stephanie Fondjo vs. Badri Gogichashvili
- Super Featherweight — Fahad Al Bloushi vs. Ayuba Tezikoma
- Super Lightweight — Khalid Naseer vs. Abdul Malik Jabir
Originally, the main event was scheduled to be a clash between Björnsson and 2017 WSM champion Eddie Hall. But Hall suffered a ruptured biceps during a sparring session, and their bout was postponed until early 2022 — current speculation is the bout will take place in March 2022, but no specific date has been confirmed.
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[Related: 7 Lessons for Powerlifters Taken From a Boxing Class]
CoreSports Founder and CEO Don Idrees thought that replacing Hall with another strongman “didn’t make sense.” Larratt, one of the most decorated arm-wrestlers in the world, got the nod as Hall’s replacement. The bout shifted from “The Heaviest Boxing Match in History” to “One of the strongman G.O.A.T.s against an arm-wrestling G.O.A.T.” The tale of the tape is below:
Hafthor “The Mountain” Björnsson
- Height — 6’9″
- Weight — 156 kilograms (344 pounds)
- Age — 32
- Athletic History — Strongman
Devon “No Limits” Larratt
- Height — 6’5″
- Weight — 132.9 kilograms (293 pounds)
- Age — 46
- Athletic History —Arm Wrestler
The main event bout is scheduled for six three-minute rounds with 12-ounce gloves. In a YouTube video released on Aug. 29, Hall shared his expectations for the fight. He believes it is certainly an uphill battle for Larratt, who only has six weeks of preparation for the fight, while Björnsson had a year and a half. However, Björnsson’s training was with the expectation of fighting Hall. Of course, anything can happen when both heavyweights step into the ring as either could generate single-punch knockout power.
[Related: 2021 Rogue Invitational Strongman Roster — Kieliszkowski and Licis Return]
2021 World’s Ultimate Strongman
On Sept. 17, 2021, the 2021 World’s Ultimate Strongman (WUS) contest will occur in Dubai — one day before Fight Night 3. The WUS contest will be live-streamed for free on CoreSports.world.
Men’s Division
- Žydrūnas Savickas, Lithuania
- Mateusz Kieliszkowski, Poland
- Aivars Smaukstelis, Latvia
- Bobby Thompson, USA
- Oleksii Novikov, Ukraine
- JF Caron, Canada
- Rauno Heinla, Estonia
- Ervin Toots, Estonia
- Eythor Ingolfsson, Iceland
- Konstantine Janashia, Georgia
- Mikhail Shivlyakov, Russia
- Ramin Farajnezhad, Iran
- Mohamad Ezatpor, Iran
The format is head-to-head. As there is an odd number of competitors, one athlete will run each event solo.
Women’s Division
- Jessica Fithen, USA
- Melissa Peacock, Canada
- Nadia Stowers, USA
- Annabelle Chapman, UK
- Andrea Thompson, UK
- Cori Butler, USA
- Donna Moore, UK
- Sandra Bradley, Germany
The Men’s and Women’s divisions will compete in five events: log press for reps, yoke walk for distance in 60 seconds, farmer’s walk, a mystery event, and the Atlas Stones. The Women’s division will compete in all five events first starting at 7 a.m. EST (3 p.m. GST). The Men’s division will compete afterward following a 30-minute intermission.
Feature image: @coresportsworld on Instagram