Inside Mariusz Pudzianowski’s ‘shock’ body transformation as 320lb ‘beast’ and strongman legend conquers MMA world
MARIUSZ Pudzianowski earned the nickname Dominator in his World's Strongest Man days for a reason.
The once 320-pound Polish "beast" won the strongman competition five times before slimming down and becoming an MMA fighter.
Pudzianowski, 46, inherited the sports gene from his father, Wojciech, who was a pro weightlifter.
The Biala Rawska-born athlete began strength training at the age of 13 under his dad's supervision.
But in his teens, Pudzianowski also trained karate and boxing, and played rugby.
Having eventually decided to pursue a career in powerlifting, the Pole finished fourth in his World's Strongest Man debut in 2000.
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After a brief spell in prison for a brawl with a local mafia boss, Pudzianowski triumphed upon his return to the most prestigious strongman competition in 2002.
That's when his domination started.
Over the next seven years, he became a five-time world champion and registered two second-placed finishes.
He also won six Europe's Strongest Man titles and seven Poland's Strongest Man crowns.
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After "achieving all he could" as a strongman, Pudzianowski left powerlifting to become a professional mixed martial arts fighter.
He shed about 45 pounds before making his debut against Polish boxer Marcin Najman at a 2009 KSW event, winning by submission after 43 seconds.
But it quickly become apparent Pudzianowski needed to drop more weight if he wanted to remain in the octagon.
He currently weighs about 265 pounds, showing off his new yet still ripped body in an Instagram post.
The update came about a few weeks after the Pole uploaded a picture of his gigantic muscles back from his strongman days.
And his fans got to reminisce about the legendary powerlifter's domination and stunning physique once more.
One wrote: "The best body physique in strongman I have ever seen."
Another added: "Absolute beast, the best strongman ever in my opinion."
And a third said: "Easily the most aesthetic and symmetrical strongman in history."
And one wrote: "Shock [fire emoji]."
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As of May 2023, Pudzianowski has a 17-8 MMA record, beating pro-fighters Michal Materla and Jay Silva among his biggest victories.
Most recently, he lost to Mamed Khalidov by submission in the first round at KSW 77.