Eddie Hall`s debut in mixed martial arts proved successful, though not without incident. The former World`s Strongest Man quickly defeated fellow strongman Mariusz Pudzianowski by knockout in just 30 seconds at KSW 105.
However, the bout started with a moment of confusion. Hall acknowledged that he wasn`t prepared when the official attempted to signal the start of the first round, leading to a slight delay.
In a post-fight interview, Hall offered an apology for the initial delay, explaining his unfamiliarity with the procedures. “My bad,” he stated, “I thought you have your drink, and then the referee says the rules, and then you touch gloves. It`s different here… That`s my inexperience. This is my first MMA fight. So my apologies for that.”
Despite the rocky start, Hall quickly took control once the fight began. He immediately pressured Pudzianowski, landing strikes that visibly stunned the more experienced fighter. When Pudzianowski attempted a takedown, Hall defended and threw him to the ground, following up with punches until the referee intervened to stop the fight.
During the ground and pound, some of Hall`s strikes reportedly landed on the back of Pudzianowski`s head, a point noted by the 48-year-old post-fight. Hall also addressed this, expressing regret.
“I sort of threw that first jab, he bounced back, and I could see the fear in his eyes,” Hall said. “So I threw a one-two, it was that quick, he dropped his guard, and I caught him with that second one. That`s when his eyes rolled, and I just kept that pressure on, threw him around, and just kept plowing my fist into his head as hard as I could. …”
Hall explained that in the heat of the moment, he wasn`t fully aware of where his punches were landing. “Obviously, when he was on the floor, I was just hammerfisting,” Hall said. “You just lose… again, my apologies, [it was] my first fight. I think I hit him once or twice in the back of the head. Then I heard the ref shout at me, and it clicked, and then I went back to the face. So again, my apologies. My experience… I wouldn`t like to be hit in the back of the head, so I`m sorry, Mariusz. But these things happen. It was an accident.”
Following the decisive win, attention turned to what might be next for Hall in MMA. While KSW officials had previously speculated about a potential fight with PFL champion Francis Ngannou, Hall outlined his own criteria for future bouts.
“Jon Jones,” Hall quipped in a separate interview, immediately clarifying, “Just kidding. No Jon Jones. I`ve got to step back. I`ve got to evaluate.” He indicated openness to a rematch with Pudzianowski, provided it adhered to their initial agreement of two-minute rounds. Hall emphasized his lack of ambition to become a ranked fighter in KSW, stating, “I don`t want to be No. 1 in KSW. So I`m going to take fights that make sense to me. If they can find me another World`s Strongest Man that wants to fight, I think that makes sense. I don`t want to fight KSW No. 1.”
Marcus Blakely