Tag: Mariusz Pudzianowski

Video: Mariusz Pudzianowski, Artur Szpilka tense in final faceoff ahead of KSW 83

Watch Mariusz Pudzianowski and Artur Szpilka face off in final staredown.

[autotag]Mariusz Pudzianowski[/autotag] is still going strong.

The 46-year-old heavyweight and former strongman, had his final faceoff, as he returns to the cage against [autotag]Artur Szpilka[/autotag] this Saturday on the main card of KSW 83. The event is set to go down at the PGE Narodowy in Warsaw, Poland.

Both Pudzianowski (17-8 MMA, 17-7 KSW) and Szpilka (2-0 MMA, 1-0 KSW) had a tense and cold faceoff at the weigh-ins on Friday afternoon. You can watch the staredown in the video below:

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Pudzianowski (17-8), who’s been fighting professionally for 13 years, is coming off a first-round TKO loss to Mamed Khalidov back in December. Prior to that, he was on a five-fight winning streak, with all victories coming by stoppage.

Szpilka (2-0) is boxer, who recently turned to MMA. Szpilka boxed for over 10 years professionally and fought for multiple titles. He shared the ring with Deontay Wilder and Derek Chisora. The Polish fighter turned pro in MMA back in June and has won both his contests.

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KSW 77 results: Mamed Khalidov makes Mariusz Pudzianowski tap to strikes in first

Mamed Khalidov’s technique proved superior to Mariusz Pudzianowski power in their highly anticipated showdown at KSW 77.

[autotag]Mamed Khalidov[/autotag]’s technique proved superior to [autotag]Mariusz Pudzianowski[/autotag]’s power in their highly anticipated showdown at KSW 77.

In a matchup of the two biggest stars in KSW history on Saturday, Khalidov (35-8-1) found his way into back mount on Pudzianowski (17-7), where he was able to posture up and pound his opponent into a submission from strikes less than two minutes into the heavyweight contest in Gliwice, Poland.

The pair, who had been cordial in the weeks and months leading up to the fight, embraced after the decision announcement, but it was a one-sided affair.

Pudzianowski got into a good position early on when he trapped Khalidov against the fence with double under-hooks. Khalidov managed to reverse and get a trip, though, and that marked the beginning of the end. He established the back mount, and from there the path was clear. He smashed Pudzianowski with punches, and his Polish foe just covered up until he decided to tap, causing referee Marc Goddard to step in at the 1:54 mark of Round 1.

“Thank you very much for this. You are my family. I love you,” Khalidov said to the crowd during his post-fight interview. “I want to thank this champion, Mariusz – the man. … It was my better day. Thank you very much for being with me.”

With the win, Khalidov rebounded from a knockout loss to Roberto Soldic one year ago. Pudzianowski saw his surprising five-fight winning streak come to an end.

Mariusz Pudzianowski faces former two-division champ Mamed Khalidov at KSW 77

KSW has pulled the trigger on booking one of the biggest fights in company history between Mariusz Pudzianowski and Mamed Khalidov.

KSW has pulled the trigger on booking one of the biggest fights in company history between [autotag]Mariusz Pudzianowski[/autotag] and [autotag]Mamed Khalidov[/autotag].

Pudzianowski (17-7) and Khalidov (35-8-2), who have fought a combined 49 times under the promotional banner, will meet in the KSW 77 main event on Dec. 17, the organization announced on Wednesday.

The event will takes place at Gliwice Arena in Gliwice, Poland, and will stream via online pay-per-view on the KSW website.

Pudzianowski, who is a multi-time “World’s Strongest Man” champion, is on the best run of his career at 45. He’s won his past five fights, all by knockout, including a highlight-reel finish of Michal Materla at KSW 70 in May.

After Pudzianowski won that fight, Khalidov entered the cage to set to the foundation for a showdown between them, and now it’s come to fruition.

Khalidov, 42, will have to overcome a significant weight discrepancy in the heavyweight bout. The former KSW light heavyweight and middleweight champion hasn’t fought since a December 2021 knockout loss to Roberto Soldic, and is coming off losses in four of his past five contests overall.

Despite his rough run, Khalidov is still dangerous. He’s finished 89 percent of his career wins by stoppage, and prior to his recent slump had gone on an incredible run of 34 victories in 35 fights.

Pudzianowski and Khalidov have both proven to be faces of the KSW organization at certain times, and now they will fight.

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Phil De Fries seeks ‘the money fight and the big eyes fight’ with Mariusz Pudzianowski after KSW 74

With six KSW title defenses under his belt, Phil De Fries wants a marquee matchup with Mariusz Pudzianowski in the near future.

[autotag]Phil De Fries[/autotag] is focused on Saturday’s KSW 74 main event title fight with Ricardo Prasel, but he’d be lying if he said there wasn’t another matchup on his mind for after.

De Fries (21-6), the reigning KSW heavyweight champion, is set to make his seventh title defense against Prasel (13-3) at Arena Ostrow in Poland. The event streams via online pay-per-view on the KSW website.

With challenges running thin, De Fries is looking for something unique going forward. There are few people more unique in MMA than former multi-time World’s Strongest Man winner [autotag]Mariusz Pudzianowski[/autotag] (17-7), who has become an icon under the KSW banner.

“I wanted Pudzian,” De Fries told MMA Junkie. “I think ‘Pudzian’ is the No. 1 contender. He’s on a five-fight winning streak. Also, he’s the money fight and the big eyes fight. Maybe I’m just saying that to get the fight.

“They want the ‘Pudzian’ fight, but I think ‘Pudzian’ wants loads of money to do it. I don’t blame him. Like, why? He can get paid a fortune to fight non-ranked guys or wrestlers. So why fight a guy who is dangerous when you can get the same money elsewhere? So he wants them to pay him, and I want a little bit extra. I have nothing but respect for ‘Pudzian.’ I would love to fight him.”

Whether De Fries’ desired matchup comes to fruition or not remains to be seen. First he has to get through Prasel, who brings a dangerous ground game to the table. Fortunately, De Fries said there’s nothing his opponent offers that he doesn’t see training on a daily basis.

“You get these specialists like Ricardo and a better version of him, Paul Craig,” De Fries said. “To my advantage, I get to train with Paul Craig all the time – the best guy in the world doing this sh*t. So these aren’t tricks to me. This is real life.”

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Mariusz Pudzianowski def. Michal Materla at KSW 70: Best photos

Check out these photos from Mariusz Pudzianowski’s knockout victory over Michal Materla at KSW 70.

Check out these photos from [autotag]Mariusz Pudzianowski[/autotag]’s knockout win over [autotag]Michal Materla[/autotag] at KSW 70 at Atlas Arena in Lodz, Poland. (Photos courtesy of KSW)

Video: Mariusz Pudzianowski’s scary KO leaves Michal Materla down for several minutes at KSW 70

The former World’s Strongest Man put some of that strength on showcase Saturday in Poland.

The former World’s Strongest Man put some of that strength on showcase Saturday in Poland.

[autotag]Mariusz Pudzianowski[/autotag] (17-7) took out [autotag]Michal Materla[/autotag] (31-9) in the first round with a nasty knockout that stemmed from a right uppercut. A follow-up shot on the canvas was academic, and may have contributed to an extended time on the canvas for Materla, who needed several minutes before he was back to his feet.

The heavyweight fight headlined KSW 70 at Atlas Arena in Lodz, Poland. The win for Pudzianowski was his fifth straight, all of which have come by knockout. He weighed in at 256 pounds against Materla, a former middleweight who was 222.

Pudzianowski swung early and missed, and Materla followed quickly after. Just 20 seconds in, Pudzianowski landed big and had Materla starting to fall backward. But after a quick clinch, Pudzianowski let Materla reocver.

Materla got a brief break for a low blow, and on the restart Pudzianowski kicked his lead leg. A Materla punch briefly wobbled Pudzianowski, but just a couple seconds later, the fight was over in less than two minutes.

Pudzianowski drilled Materla with a right uppercut and he fell to the canvas seemingly in slow motion. A second after his head hit the mat, Pudzianowski was on him with one final hammerfist before the ref could step in.

After the initial excitement from the crowd, the arena grew mostly quiet when Materla remained on the canvas, surrounded by medical personnel. Finally, after several minutes, Materla got back to his feet to polite applause from the fans.

KSW 70 video: Mariusz Pudzianowski faces off with Michal Materla, has huge size advantage

Former World’s Strongest Man champion Mariusz Pudzianowski weighed in 34 pounds heavier than ex-middleweight Michal Materla for KSW 70.

With an off weekend in store for the major North American-based MMA organizations, the spotlight has opened up for others, including KSW.

KSW 70 goes down on Saturday in Poland, and in the main event former World’s Strongest Man champion [autotag]Mariusz Pudzianowski[/autotag] is set to return to action against [autotag]Michal Materla[/autotag] in the heavyweight headliner.

Weigh-ins for the event took place Friday, with Pudzianowski tipping the scale at 256 pounds, while Materla – who last fought at middleweight – was just 222 pounds for the contest.

After both men weighed in, Pudzianowski (16-7) and Materla (31-8) engaged in a respectful staredown, but it was fascinating to see the pair get face-to-face for the first time.

Pudzianowski, 45, is currently riding a career-best four-fight winning streak – all of which have come by knockout.

He’ll have to be precise to put hands on the smaller and more agile Materla, 38, who has won four of his past five contests.

KSW 70 takes place at Atlas Arena in Lodz, Poland. The event streams via online pay-per-view on the promotion’s website for $10 U.S.

KSW 64 video: Mariusz Pudzianowski KOs ‘Bombardier’ quickly in battle of behemoths

That went just about as everyone expected.

Perhaps as expected, the fight between [autotag]Mariusz Pudzianowski[/autotag] and [autotag]Serigne Ousmane Dia[/autotag] didn’t last long. And it ended with one of the big men hitting the canvas hard.

On Saturday at KSW 64, it didn’t even take all of 20 seconds for the battle of behemoths to end, with Pudzianowski knocking out “Bombardier,” who crashed to the mat after a hard right hand connected with his face.

The fight, which featured a combined 587 pounds of man, was a flurry of punches thrown between both men. You can watch it all in the video below:

Behold the 333-pound man who dwarfs ‘World’s Strongest Man’ Mariusz Pudzianowski ahead of KSW 59

Yes, Mariusz Pudzianowski is giving up 68 pounds at KSW 59.

Well, you have to see it to believe it, but there’s a human being out there who absolutely dwarfs “The World’s Strongest Man.”

Senegal’s [autotag]Serigne Ousmane[/autotag] towers over [autotag]Mariusz Pudzianowski[/autotag], former strongman competitor and now MMA heavyweight, ahead of their clash in the headlining slot of Saturday’s KSW 59 event in Poland.

Friday, they weighed in. Pudzianowski (13-7) came in at 265 pounds, while Ousmane (2-0) registered a ridiculous 333 pounds. Ousmane outweighs Pudzianowski by 68 pounds – or half a bantamweight fighter, to put things into perspective.

Shortly after weighing-in, the two fighters faced off in a must see staredown.

Pudzianowski looks to follow up on his TKO win over Erko Jun in November 2019, which snapped a two-fight skid. The 44-year-old is considered one of the greatest strongmen in the history of the sport, winning five “World’s Strongest Man” titles.

Ousmane is fighting as a pro for the third time. “Bombardier,” a standout wrestler in his home country of Senegal, has back-to-back wins to open his MMA career.

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Mariusz Pudzianowski returns to MMA for first time since 2019 at KSW 59

43-year-old Mariusz Pudzianowski will return to competition for the first time in 16 months at KSW 59 in March.

[autotag]Mariusz Pudzianowski[/autotag]’s fighting career is not over yet.

Pudzianowski (13-7), who gained fame by winning the World’s Strongest Man competition in 2002, 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2008 before transitioning to MMA, is set to make his return to the cage as KSW 59 on March 20.

The promotion announced Pudzianowski’s return during Saturday’s KSW 58 broadcast, but did not reveal an opponent for the 43-year-old Polish strongman (via Twitter):

Pudzianowski has not competed since November 2019, when he earned a second-round TKO victory over Erko Jun to snap a two-fight losing skid.

Also announced for KSW 59, which does not have an official location or venue, was the return of bantamweight champion [autotag]Antun Racic[/autotag] (25-8-1), who will attempt to make a second consecutive defense of his KSW title.