Mariusz Pudzianowski


Mariusz Zbigniew Pudzianowski, known in Poland as "Pudzian" and "Dominator" is a Polish former strongman competitor and current mixed martial artist. He is widely considered one of the greatest strongmen ever to have lived. During his career as a strongman, Pudzianowski won five World's Strongest Man titles, more than any other athlete according to Guinness World Records. He also won two runner-up titles in 2006 and 2009. In 2009, Pudzianowski debuted as a mixed martial artist.

Early years

Mariusz Pudzianowski was born in Biała Rawska, Poland. His father, Wojciech, was a weightlifter. Pudzianowski quickly became interested in sports. Since the age of 11, he has been training the Kyokushin style of karate. His current grade is 4th kyu green belt. He began strength training at the age of thirteen. When he was fifteen, Pudzianowski also started training boxing, quitting after seven years. Pudzianowski debuted in professional sports at the age of sixteen, taking part in Polish Weightlifting Championship, in the bench press event.

Imprisonment

In 2000 and 2001, Pudzianowski spent 19 months in Łowicz prison for assault. In an interview, he said he wanted to stop a "local mafia boss", and he got accused of assault and stealing his golden chain. Pudzianowski was incarcerated in prison in Łowicz. Several years later he arranged a resocialization meeting for the prisoners at the same penal institution.

Strongman career

On 1 May 1999 Pudzianowski entered his first Strongman competition, held in Płock, Poland. He achieved his first major success at the international level at the 2000 World's Strongest Man contest, the first time he entered the competition. He surprised many by comfortably winning his heat with 3 first-place finishes, including a remarkable performance in the Africa Stone in which he was the only man in the entire competition to carry the implement over 100 metres. In the final, he continued to impress with excellent performances in the Power Stairs and Car Lift, and after the first three events was tied for 1st place with the eventual champion Janne Virtanen; a good performance in the Truck Pull allowed him to keep pace with the leaders and he eventually finished fourth in his first WSM competition. He did not return for the 2001 competition, however, due to his prison sentence.
Pudzianowski returned at the 2002 World's Strongest Man and, after a good performance in the heats, he went on to win three events in the final, including a world record in the Asia Stone, on the way to his first championship. The following year, he retained his title at the 2003 World's Strongest Man in style, not only scoring the highest points total in the competition's history but also winning by the largest margin ever and winning the title with one event to spare. Perhaps even more incredibly, he also finished in the top three in every single event. In March 2004, he also became the Strongman Super Series World Champion.
However, at the 2004 World's Strongest Man, he was surprisingly beaten down into third place, with Ukranian Vasyl Virastyuk winning his first title, but Pudzianowksi was later disqualified for breaching the governing body's Strongman Health Policy. He was forced to return his prize money, stripped of the International Federation of Strength Athletes points from the event, and received a one-year ban from competition. Pudzianowski did not dispute his banned substance violation and waived his right to have his stool sample verified. After having served his ban, he then returned to compete in the 2005 World's Strongest Man and won his heat easily. In the final, after a poor start in the Fingal's Fingers and Hercules Hold, he proceeded to win the next five events in a row, comprehensively beating out the rest of the competition to win his third WSM title, again with an event to spare.
In the 2006 World's Strongest Man contest, he breezed through his heat with ease. He started well in the final, but was then stunned by American Phil Pfister who caused an unlikely upset by repeating Pudzianowski's own feat from the previous year of winning the last 5 events in a row, beating the Pole out by the barest of margins in the final event of the Atlas Stones. The following year, however, Pudzianowski returned to the 2007 World's Strongest Man, determined to regain his title. After winning his heat comfortably, he started the final excellently by coming first and second in the first two events. However, with the third event being the Fingal's Fingers, many expected Pudzianowski to drop points in an event that had consistently proven to be his achilles' heel, but Pudzianowski defied all the odds and came second, only 0.22 seconds slower than compatriot Sebastian Wenta who set a world record to win the event. Two more successive second place finishes in the Deadlift and the Truck Pull put Pudzianowksi in a virtually unassailable position, and after dominating the field in the Car Walk, completing the course nearly 5 seconds faster than anyone else, he won the overall competition once again with an event to spare. In the process, he joined Jon Pall Sigmarsson and Magnus Ver Magnusson as the only men to win the competition four times.
After winning the WSM 2007 competition, Pudzianowski said that his target was to become the first person to win the event five times. However, he suffered a serious calf injury in the Polish Strongman Championship Cup of 2008 and further exacerbated the damage during his 2008 World's Strongest Man heat in the Fingal's Fingers; diagnosed as a strained calf muscle, this seriously threatened his chance of even reaching the final, and although he did successfully qualify, it was clear that the complete dominance of previous years was no longer present, with Americans Derek Poundstone and Dave Ostlund providing stiff competition throughout the final. Although Pudzianowski started well in the final by winning the Power Stairs, he finished fifth in the Car Walk after a stumble at the start and fifth again in the Fingal's Fingers after struggling with the final finger owing to his calf injury. In the Deadlift, one of Pudzianowksi's best events, he was surprised by Poundstone who managed to tie him for first place, leaving Poundstone and Pudzianowksi 2 and 3 points respectively behind Ostlund in the lead. Poundstone managed to defeat Pudzianowski in the Log Lift by one repetition to extend his advantage at the top of the rankings, whilst Ostland fell out of the running. Pudzianowski crucially managed to win the penultimate event, the Plane Pull, but was visibly exhausted by the effort and required an oxygen tank to aid his recovery. Poundstone's third place finish in the Plane Pull, however, maintained a 1-point lead over the Pole going into the very final event: the Atlas Stones. Pudzianowski and Poundstone were matched up against each other in a winner-takes-all scenario; Pudzianowski kept his composure and successfully lifted all five stones, fulfilling his dream of becoming the first man to win five World's Strongest Man titles, although he did profit from Poundstone's final stone slipping off the front of its podium as he attempted to place it there.
He competed in the 2009 World's Strongest Man competition, which took place in Malta, in an attempt to do what many considered impossible: win a sixth World's Strongest Man title. However, his title challenge was made substantially more difficult with the line-up that year being substantially better than in previous years. Indeed, so strong was the line-up that Tarmo Mitt, four times a WSM finalist, was among the reserves. Moreover, since the 2008 WSM competition, Pudzianowski had suffered a bicep injury that meant his only preparation for the 2009 WSM competition was a couple of local events in Poland. Indeed, he struggled to find his rhythm during the heats, failing to win any individual events, but consistent 2nd place finishes meant he qualified for the final behind his former nemesis Phil Pfister. He found much better form in the final, but although he remained remarkably consistent across each discipline, including four top-two finishes in the first six events, he was two points behind leader Žydrūnas Savickas going into the final event of the Atlas Stones. Although he had proven in previous years to be one of the best in this event, small mistakes in getting stones two and three onto their podiums cleanly cost him dearly: a 5th placed finish in the Atlas stones, coupled with Savickas' excellent 2nd place finish in that event, meant that Pudzianowski finished in second place overall with Savickas taking his first of four titles. In an interview following the final, Pudzianowski stated that he would not continue participating in strongman events because of his desire to pursue his career in Mixed Martial Arts, which required a totally different training to strongman.

Personal records

Professional Competitive Record – 1st, 2nd, 3rd – Out of Total
Performance Metric –.964
Professional1st2nd3rd4th5th6th7th8th9th10thINJDNQTotal
Polish15116
International2764221143
Combined4274221159

CompetitionLocationOutcomeDate
World's Strongest ManValletta, Malta2nd place2009-03-10
World's Strongest ManCharleston, West Virginia, USAWinner9/6-14/2008
World Strongman Federation Grand PrixSilichy, BelarusWinner2008-03-08
Poland CupPolandWinner2008-02-08
World Strongman Federation Grand Prix RussiaWinner2008
Poland vs. The WorldPolandWinner2008
Mohegan Sun Super Series Grand PrixUncasville, Connecticut, USA2nd place2008-01-19
World's Strongest ManAnaheim, California, USAWinner2007
Svend Karlsens Viking Power Super Series Grand PrixNorwayWinner2007
Venice Beach Super Series Grand PrixVenice Beach, California, USA2nd place2007
Mohegan Sun Super Series Grand PrixUncasville, Connecticut, USAWinner2007
European ChampionshipPolandWinner2007
World Strongman Cup Grand PrixEnglandWinner2007
World Strongman Cup Grand PrixLatviaWinner2007
World's Strongest ManSanya, China2nd place2006
Poland Super Series Grand PrixPolandWinner2006
Moscow Super Series Grand PrixMoscow, RussiaWinner2006
Mohegan Sun Super Series Grand PrixUncasville, Connecticut, USAWinner2006
World Strongman Cup Grand PrixRussiaWinner2006
World Strongman Cup Grand PrixPolandWinner2006
World Strongman Cup Grand PrixLatviaWinner2006
World Strongman Cup Grand PrixBelarusWinner2006
Arnold's Strongest ManColumbus, Ohio, USA6th place2005
World's Strongest ManChengdu, ChinaWinner2005
Poland vs. The WorldPolandWinner2005
Mohegan Sun Super Series Grand PrixUncasville, Connecticut, USAWinner2005
Sweden Super Series Grand PrixSwedenWinner2005
Poland Super Series Grand PrixPolandWinner2005
Venice Beach Super Series Grand PrixVenice Beach, California, USAWinner2005
World Strongman Cup Grand PrixAustriaWinner2005
Arnold's Strongest ManColumbus, Ohio, USA4th place2004
World's Strongest ManNassau, Paradise Island, The BahamasDisqualified 2004
European ChampionshipJelenia Gora, PolandWinner2004
World Team ChampionshipPlock, PolandWinner2004
Moscow Super Series Grand PrixMoscow, RussiaWinner2004
Polish CupPolandWinner2004
World's Strongest ManVictoria Falls, ZambiaWinner2003
European ChampionshipSandomierz, PolandWinner2003
World Team ChampionshipHungaryWinner2003
Ylitornio ChallengeFinlandWinner2003
World Record BreakersGdynia, PolandWinner2003
Polish CupPolandWinner2003
Arnold's Strongest ManColumbus, Ohio, USA5th place2003
Finland Super Series Grand PrixFinland2nd place2003
Canada Super Series Grand PrixCanada2nd place2003
Holland Super Series Grand PrixHollandWinner2003
Hawaii Super Series Grand PrixHawaii, USAWinner2003
World's Strongest ManKuala Lumpur, MalaysiaWinner2002
Hawaii Super Series Grand PrixHawaii, USA3rd place2002
Sweden Super Series Grand PrixSweden5th place2002
European ChampionshipGdynia, PolandWinner2002
Polish CupPoland2nd place2002
World Team ChampionshipHungary3rd place2002
World's GiantsIrelandWinner2002
World's Strongest ManSun City, South Africa4th place2000
Helsinki Grand PrixFinland10th place2000
World Team ChampionshipHungary2nd place2000
World Cup Grand PrixPolandWinner2000
World Team ChampionshipChina3rd place1999
Polish CupPolandWinner1999

Mixed martial arts

In 2009, Pudzianowski signed a contract with Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki – a Polish mixed martial arts organization – to take part in four fights.
He debuted as a mixed martial arts fighter on 11 December 2009, during the KSW 12 event in Warsaw, Poland, winning against Marcin Najman, a professional boxer. Pudzianowski started throwing low kicks soon after the fight began. After several hits, Najman fell to the mat and Pudzianowski started delivering punches. Najman was forced to tap the mat, indicating he wanted to end the fight, which lasted for only 43 seconds. Before the fight Mariusz said: "Lewa ręka niesie za sobą śmierć, a prawej sam się boję." Pudzianowski collected 200,000 złoty for the fight.
On 7 May 2010, during the KSW 13 event, Pudzianowski won his second fight, against Yusuke Kawaguchi. The fight lasted two full rounds, with Pudzianowski winning by judges' decision. The fight was described as a "sloppy brawl". It was noted Pudzianowski had control over most of the fight, but was "neutralized" by Kawaguchi, and that, by the second round, he was looking "to be out of energy and breathing heavily".
On 21 May 2010, Pudzianowski went on to participate in the Moosin: God of Martial Arts event, where he fought former two time UFC Heavyweight Champion Tim Sylvia.
Pudzianowski fractured his metatarsus during the first round and then went on to deplete his stamina during the rest of the fight, which ultimately led to Sylvia defeating him via submission at 1:43 of round 2.
Following his loss to Sylvia in May, Pudzianowski signed to face former heavyweight boxer and kickboxer Eric Esch, better known as 'Butterbean', at KSW 14 on 18 September. After several brief standup exchanges, Pudzianowski secured a takedown early in the fight and was then able to dominate Esch with ground and pound. Esch, unable to get back to his feet during the attack, tapped out to the strikes, making Pudzianowski the winner by submission at 1:15 of the first round. He came into the fight notably slimmer, having lost around 20 lbs from his previous fight. Many believe his large muscle mass to have caused his stamina problems in his earlier fights.
On 21 May 2011 Pudzianowski fought James Thompson at KSW XVI, losing by arm triangle.
In September 2011 Mariusz Pudzianowski started professional training in the well known MMA camp in the USA – American Top Team.
Pudzianowski fought on the KSW XVII event, which was held on 26 November 2011. He faced James Thompson in a rematch. He won the fight via majority decision. This decision caused controversy as Thompson had virtually full control in both rounds, and after the fight Thompson, who was clearly angered by the decision, took the microphone from the announcer and launched a verbal assault directed at the promotion in which he ranted: "Fucking joke. Give Mariusz a big round of applause. Come on. What a fucking joke. I thought KSW was really trying to be serious. If you can watch that back and call that serious, then you're fucked, and KSW is going down the fucking toilet." Two days later the promotion changed the result to a No Contest. During a conference held on 28 November, the ruling was deemed to be a "judge's error" and the fight result was changed.
Mariusz's next opponent was Bob Sapp. The fight took place in Lodz, Poland on KSW 19. Mariusz won via a TKO in the first round, battering Sapp with a barrage of punching and securing a takedown followed with more punches to win just 39 seconds into the fight.
Mariusz then faced Christos Piliafas on 15 September in the main event of KSW 20. Mariusz won via TKO in the first round, after dominating Piliafas on his feet, he then secured a takedown followed by posturing up and raining down some ground and pound to win at 3:48 seconds into the fight. 8 June Pudzianowski fought Sean McCorkle at KSW 23 and Pudzianowski lost in the first round by kimura submission. Pudzianowski and McCorkle fought again in a rematch on 28 September at KSW 24 and Mariusz Pudzianowski won by unanimous decision. After the second fight with Mariusz Pudzianowski, Sean McCorkle expressed interest in a third fight.
On 17 May 2014, Pudzianowski defeated Oli Thompson via a 2nd round unanimous decision. During the fight, Pudzianowski was able to gain points by controlling the entire fight through landing punches and securing multiple takedowns of Oli Thompson in both rounds eventually leading to his victory. At the end, Thompson requested a rematch, to which Pudzianowski agreed.
On 6 December 2014, Pudzianowski defeated the olympic veteran Paweł Nastula via unanimous decision on KSW 29's co-main event. It was his third win in a row.
Pudzianowski next fought Rolles Gracie Jr. in KSW 31, on 23 May 2015 in Gdańsk, Poland. He defeated him via KO in the 1st round. On 31 October 2015 Pudzianowski lost to Peter Graham via TKO in the second round. And then on 27 May 2016 in KSW 35 against Marcin Rozalski, he lost also in the second round this time by guillotine choke. In his next fight in KSW 37 on 3 December 2016 Pudzianowski defeated Pawel Mikolajuw with TKO in the first round. On 27 May 2017 in KSW 39 Pudzianowski defeated Tyberiusz Kowalczyk via submission to elbow strike in the second round. Pudzianowski was expected to face James McSweeney in KSW 40 on 22 October 2017. However, he eventually faced Jay Silva and won by majority decision.

Championships and accomplishments

Outside professional sports

Education

On 27 May 2008 Pudzianowski graduated with a master's degree in international relations. His thesis was: "Organizational culture in sports marketing in the world".

Business

In an interview in 2009 Mariusz said that he treats the sport as a hobby. He is not doing it for money, as the money is relatively low in Strongman and MMA. He owns a very successful company and various real estates. Those are his main sources of money. Pudzianowski also owns a truck cargo company named Pudzianowski Transport.

Musical career

Pudzianowski often appears as a guest singer in the musical group Pudzian Band, formed by his brother Krystian. Their first single "Zdobyć świat", was released in 2006. In 2009, the group released an album, Dawaj na ring.

Celebrity status

In 2008, Pudzianowski took part in the 7th season of Dancing with the Stars in his native Poland. He advanced to the final episode, but ultimately finished second, losing to actress Magdalena Walach. Pudzianowski is currently a contestant in the 1st season of the singing reality show Just the Two of Us in Poland. He is coupled with former Ich Troje singer Anna Wiśniewska.

Rugby

Pudzianowski is also a keen amateur rugby union player, and plays with Blachy Pruszyński Budowlani Łódź.

Strongman diet

Pudzianowski is liberal with his diet and is often seen eating chocolate, ice cream or burgers. On one of the World Strongman events shown on TV, and an interview for MTV, when asked about his diet he said: "I eat everything. I do not follow any particular diet. I eat anything I want, anytime I want".
He said for MTV that he prefers Polish cuisine. When he has some time he often cooks himself, as he does not particularly fancy meals from restaurants. He often eats bigos, Polish soups, Polish sausages and typical Polish dinners with cooked potatoes, 200–300 g of meat and some salads.
In an interview at the beginning of his world strongman career he said that his supplements, training, massages, etc. costs him approximately 6000 złoty per month.

Commercials