Five-time “World’s Strongest Man” Mariusz Pudzianowski faced off against Michal Materla ahead of their upcoming match on Sat. (May 28).
This weekend, Pudzianowski marks his return to competition in combat sports at KSW 70 taking place at the Atlas Arena, Łódź. The former multi-time strongman champion will take on Michal Materla, a veteran Polish MMA fighter in the headlining contest for the night.
Mariusz Pudzianowski face off with Michal Materla
Pudzianowski came in at a gigantic 116 kg (256 lb) for the main event attraction of the night. His opponent Materla weighed in over 30 lbs lighter than his rival at 100.5 kg (222 lb) to create one of the more significant gaps in competition size.
In the video, Pudzianowski can be seen flexing his muscles as he stepped on the scales with a behemoth-like stature more comparable to bodybuilding than combat sports.
The Main Event!! 🤩
LEGEND 🆚 LEGEND
PUDZIAN 🆚 MATERLA#KSW70 | KSWTV | @viaplaysportpl pic.twitter.com/41tPnRpLQd— KSW (@KSW_MMA) May 27, 2022
The stark difference in their size was evident when the two stared down at each other. Although being the more experienced fighter going into the bout, Materla will need to find a way to minimize the advantage his opponent has given the difference in their weight.
A notable moment happened towards the last 15 seconds of the video. After a brief moment of silence, Pudzianowski raised his arm to offer a handshake. Materla obliged and seemingly pulled the strongman in with his handshake, throwing Pudzianowski off his center of gravity. The strongman remained graceful as he balanced himself again and continued with the proceedings.
KSW 70 will also feature a highly anticipated showdown between former Chelsea FC goalkeeper Ricardo Prasel and Polish fan-favorite Daniel Omelianczuk. The Pole is a seasoned professional in mixed martial arts having competed nearly 40 times and also fought nine times in the UFC, the premier promotion of MMA between 2013 and 2017.
Their bout will serve as the co-main event of the night and is highly likely to be a top contender contest.
