UFC interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall believes Eddie Hall`s continued journey in mixed martial arts should see him face another formidable figure. This past Saturday, former World`s Strongest Man, Eddie Hall, made his professional MMA debut at KSW 105 against fellow strongman Mariusz Pudzianowski.
Hall secured a rapid knockout victory within the first 30 seconds of the opening round. However, the win sparked controversy, with Pudzianowski accusing Hall of cheating during the bout.
`The Beast`, as Hall is known, later admitted that he accidentally landed several strikes to the back of his opponent`s head, though he maintained it was not deliberate.
Pudzianowski partially accepted Hall`s apology, conceding that despite his own extensive background in MMA, the British fighter was simply superior on that particular day.
Aspinall`s Take on Hall`s Next Fight
Leading up to his highly anticipated debut, Hall trained significantly with UFC interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall.
Aspinall reacted swiftly to Hall`s impressive win, offering congratulations to his teammate online via a humorous meme.
Following this viral first appearance in the cage, fans are speculating about Hall`s potential next opponents. There have even been discussions suggesting a bout against Francis Ngannou.
Despite the high-profile talk, it is more likely that Hall will be featured in another high-interest “freak show” type fight. He has already received challenges from two influencers whom he defeated in a 2-on-1 match last year.
Expanding on his thoughts regarding Hall`s 30-second victory, Aspinall offered a specific recommendation for his next opponent.
“Eddie Hall is like 150 kilos (330lbs). If that guy punches you, and I have been punched by Eddie Hall, at 150 odd kilos, it’s not very pleasant,” Aspinall commented in a video on his YouTube channel.
“I’ve seen Pudzianowski fight live a couple of times and I wasn’t impressed but that isn’t taking away from Eddie. Eddie’s a beginner and he’s gone in and done that, so, fair play.”
“I’m a bit of an MMA purist so I like to see skills in there, but I still watch it, so I think he should maybe fight someone, maybe, Brian Shaw, someone like that, some big beast that’s gonna swing as well,” Aspinall added.
Who is Brian Shaw?
Brian Shaw is another former World`s Strongest Man winner and is widely recognized as one of the greatest strength athletes of all time.
After a remarkably successful strongman career, Shaw set his sights on becoming the `Most Dangerous Man on Earth` and has transitioned to training in MMA.
Although the American has not yet competed in a formal cage fight, he has been training in the sport for several years. Interestingly, he and Hall were originally scheduled to face each other in a World`s Strongest Man MMA tournament planned for 2024, but the event was subsequently canceled.
