Mariusz Pudzianowski has openly stated that his career in mixed martial arts (MMA) is approaching its conclusion.
The five-time winner of the World`s Strongest Man competition surprised many when he transitioned to competitive fighting in 2009.
Over sixteen years later, the 48-year-old fighter holds a record of 27 bouts, featuring significant victories against opponents like Butterbean, Bob Sapp, and Rolles Gracie Jr.
However, Pudzianowski`s recent MMA outing in June 2023 appeared to be a harsh setback, as he suffered a surprising knockout loss to former heavyweight boxer Artur Szpilka.
Mariusz Pudzianowski Discusses Impending Retirement
Pudzianowski is scheduled to face fellow former World`s Strongest Man Eddie Hall in Gliwice, Poland, this Saturday night. The highly anticipated bout is being promoted as the `World`s Strongest Fight`.
While trying to maintain focus on the immediate task, Pudzianowski acknowledged that the end of his fighting career is near.
During a pre-fight Q&A session, he stated, “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.”
He added, reflecting on his future plans, “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,” he concluded.
Pudzianowski Issues Warning to Eddie Hall
Despite Hall training with UFC interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall, Pudzianowski believes the 37-year-old is unprepared for the reality of their upcoming bout.
He issued a stark warning to 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.”
