Mariusz Pudzianowski openly acknowledges that his career in mixed martial arts is drawing to a close.
The five-time World`s Strongest Man surprised many when he transitioned to a fighting career in 2009.
Sixteen years later, the 48-year-old holds a professional record of 27 fights, featuring notable victories against opponents like Butterbean, Bob Sapp, and Rolles Gracie Jr.
However, Pudzianowski`s MMA journey appeared to hit a major setback when he suffered a devastating knockout loss to former heavyweight boxer Artur Szpilka in June 2023.
Pudzianowski Discusses Impending Retirement
Now, Pudzianowski is set to return to the cage to face fellow former World`s Strongest Man winner, Eddie Hall, in Gliwice, Poland, on Saturday night.
The two strongmen recently had a notable first encounter ahead of their bout, which is being promoted as the `strongest fight` in MMA history.
While Pudzianowski prefers not to focus on pre-fight discussions of retirement, he acknowledges that the end of his fighting career is near.
During a pre-fight Q&A with KSW, Pudzianowski commented on his future:
“At the moment, I`m not focusing on what is going to happen in the future. I`m concentrating on my fight in Gliwice on April 26th.”
“However, I`m nearing the end of my career, the end of this episode called `sport` and, at some point, I will have to start a normal life.”
“I`m certainly going to keep training, but no longer as a professional athlete.”
“We`ll see what happens next.”
Pudzianowski Issues Warning to Eddie Hall
Eddie Hall has reportedly been training with interim UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall in preparation for the fight.
Despite this, Pudzianowski suggests the 37-year-old Hall is not fully prepared for what awaits him this weekend.
He added a stern message for Hall:
“Eddie, you`re in for a lot of hard work. I`m not going to give up easily. You know it well that I fight until the very end. You`re about to see what lack of oxygen means. This is not boxing, this is MMA.”
Tags: Eddie Hall, KSW, Mariusz Pudzianowski
