In the grand scheme of things, it’s a little surprising that Mariusz Pudzianowski — Poland’s cult icon who won the World’s Strongest Man competition five times — is still fighting in MMA. When he debuted nearly 10 years ago at KSW 12 against Marcin Najman, it was a novelty of eye-popping proportions, a chance to see a guy with veins the size of ropes try and use that expansive power to darken somebody’s day.
And why not?
Back then, lots of big men were entertaining the idea of competing in MMA, and some of them were even doing it.