Eddie Hall’s MMA debut was a huge success, but there were hints of controversy.
The former world’s strongest man wore four ounces of gloves at KSW 105 in Griwys, Poland, for a clash with another legendary strongman, Marius Pujanovsky.
I was a bit confused at the start of the match, but it didn’t take long for him to find his footing and land some of his big right hands that swayed early.
Desperate to get out of danger, Puzianovsky shot to a takedown and drove the hall across the cage. Hall immediately throws Puzianovsky onto the mat, drops a series of hammer fists and headshots, and is ultimately forced to call the judges to stop with a 30-second mark.
During the final exchange, Hall appeared to catch Puzianovsky with a hammer fist directly behind his head, earning a warning from the judge. The holes were adjusted and continued the landing shot, leading to a finish.
In a postwar interview, Hall admitted that he was caught up in the moment and apologized for the blow to the back of his head.
“I threw that first jab, he bounced back and I could see the horror in his eyes,” Hall said. “So I threw one in, it was that fast, he dropped his guard and I caught him with his second one. His eyes rolled, and I just kept putting that pressure on him, threw him, continuing to plow my fist into his head as hard as possible.
“Obviously, when he was on the floor, I was just a hammer fist. You just lost – it was my apology, it was my first fight. I think I hit him once or twice in the back of my head. Then I cried out at me. Accident.”
Puzianovsky responds to Eddie Hall’s public apology
After learning of Hall’s public apology, Puzianovsky responded on social media, shrugging all of it, admitting that “The Beast” was a better fighter that night.
“He was good. He won. This isn’t chess. It happens that way sometimes,” Puzianovsky posted on his Instagram story.
As for what comes next, Hall is open to a rematch with Puzianovsky, but he has no delusions about what he wants to achieve while competing for KSW.
“If there’s a rematch, I’ll take it,” Hall said. “I have no desire to be number one in KSW. It’s not for me. I want to come and enjoy. I want to fight my heroes. I want to fight the freaks of the world.”