Former World’s Strongest Man, Mariusz Pudzianowski, made his return to the cage earlier today (Sat., June 3, 2023) at KSW 83 from inside PGE Narodowy in Warsaw, Poland, suffering a brutal second-round TKO loss at the hands of Artur Szpilka.
KSW 83’s co-main event was unexpectedly canceled just 30 mins before it was scheduled to take place so the heavyweight matchup between Pudzianowski and Szpilka needed to deliver. After all, KSW 83 was taking place in front 60,000 screaming Polish fans eager to see violence.
Luckily, the heavyweight clash delivered. While Pudzianowski is known for devastating punching power it was Szpilka who made good on his striking. During an exchange near the cage in the second round Szpilka landed a beautiful left hand counter that stopped Pudzianowski in his tracks. The former World’s Strongest Man fell to the canvas and covered up as Szpilka landed a few insurance shots and the eventual TKO finish.
Check out the memorable stoppage above courtesy of KWS.
Szpilka, 34, is now 3-0 in his short professional mixed martial arts (MMA) career. This is his third-straight knockout and one of the biggest victories he’ll ever come across as a member of the KSW roster. Szpilka will look to continue his unbeaten streak later this year and push towards his first KSW heavyweight title shot.