FIVE-TIME “World’s Strongest Man” Mariusz Pudzianowski suffered a brutal and shock defeat to former boxing journeyman Artur Szpilka this weekend.
The ex-boxer, who took Deontay Wilder to nine rounds in the past, came from behind to stop his huge opponent in the second round at KSW 83: Colosseum 2 on Saturday at PGE Narodowy in Warsaw.
Twitter @KSW_MMAEx-boxer Artur Szpilka is celebrating after recording his third-straight MMA win[/caption]
Twitter @KSW_MMAHe took on and beat Mariusz Pudzianowski on Saturday[/caption]
Twitter @KSW_MMASzpilka brutally knocked out the five-time ‘World’s Strongest Man’ in the second round[/caption]
Szpilka had already recorded two victories inside the cage since his transition to MMA.
Now he has announced himself as a serious contender after he beat knock out specialist Pudzianowski.
It looked as if the 34-year-old had bitten off more than he could chew as he was taken to the floor in the opening round as his rival easily controlled him.
But it all changed in the second when Pudzianowski failed with a takedown attempt and then unsuccessfully failed to connect with a flurry of wild punches.
Szpilka countered with two massive strikes of his own that sent his opponent face-first to the floor, leading to the ref to wave the fight off.
The Polish star previously amassed a 16-0 record in the boxing ring before he suffered a tenth-round TKO loss to Bryant Jennings in 2014.
The man known as “The Pin” returned with a win over former two-weight world champion Tomasz Adamek before recording three more victories to earn a crack at the WBC heavyweight title.
That was against Wilder at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York in 2016, but despite impressively taking him nine rounds, the “Bronze Bomber” brutally knocked him out.
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Szpilka then picked up four wins out of his next six fights but knockout losses against British boxing star Derek Chisora and Łukasz Rożanski left him considering his future.
Then, in 2022, he embarked on his new path in MMA and he beat Serhiy Radchenko at KSW 71 on his debut prior to going 2-0 with a win over Denis Zalecki in September.
Now he looks set to face another ex-boxer in his next bout.
Former WBO cruiserweight champion Krzysztof Glowacki scored a knockout win on his MMA debut at the same event this weekend.
And speculation is building that he could be Szpilka’s next opponent.
Action ImagesDerek Chisora previously knocked out Artur Szpilka back in 2019[/caption]
USA Today SportsThe Pole was also KOed by Deontay Wilder when he challenged for the WBC title[/caption] Read More