Tag: Strongman
Could We See Mariusz Pudzianowski vs Hafthor Bjornsson in September?
It looks as if we could be potentially getting closer to a Hafthor Bjornsson versus Mariusz Pudzianowski showdown. The rumored bout between the two former World’s Strongest Man champions was just that, a rumor. But it appears that Mariusz is adding fuel to the fire with a recent new post.
When 2017 World’s Strongest Man Eddie Hall announced he was out of his September fight with Hafthor Bjornsson, a ton of fans were let down by the news. The two rivals had done a great job building anticipation for the bout. With both men training for two years to prepare for the showdown it appeared that they were treating this battle with full seriousness.
Then Eddie Hall suffered his unfortunate bicep tear.
Suffice it to say, it truly put a damper on things. With other fighters set to be on the card and wanting to do battle himself, Hafthor Bjornsson has expressed interest in remaining on the card. But if he were to remain, who would he fight?
Well it appears that the rumor is none other than former multiple-time World’s Strongest Man champion Mariusz Pudzianowski.
After dominating the competition throughout his strongman career, Mariusz Pudzianowski would move on to competing in mixed martial arts. Most of his matches would take place under the Polish KSW MMA promotions banner. Mariusz has recently been floating the idea of a match up between himself and Hafthor Bjornsson in place of the Eddie Hall bout. Mariusz took to Instagram to inform the masses that negotiations are on the table for the potential bout.
It’s getting closer to finalizing the contract! However, Poland and KSW are less complicated than the west. Slowly, it doesn’t matter if there will be this fight or not, but I have to be ready because anything can happen. I never “CHEAP LEATHER DOESN’T SELL $$$ !!!” @thorbjornsson @pudzianofficial When it comes to fruition it will be quite a challenge for hell !!!! ???? Only boxing and I am a boxer like a goat’s ass with a trumpet, and what am I going to pour and it hurts !!!!
Ps: If he hits, bert may drop me, but he has to hit and catch me ?????
This would be a pretty interesting replacement bout for the Eddie Hall fight. Mariusz Pudzianowski has his fair share of fight experience, albeit in MMA rather than boxing. That experience will translate over well in the ring. As for the Hafthor Bjornsson, his exhibition matches have done well to help him acclimate to the boxing ring. If this fight does indeed get signed we could see a rather entertaining showdown between two World’s Strongest Man champions to replace the other.
Would you tune in to see Hafthor Bjornsson versus Mariusz Pudzianowski?
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Managing Editor at Generation Iron, Jonathan Salmon is a writer, martial arts instructor, and geek culture enthusiast. Check out his YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and Sound Cloud for in-depth MMA analysis.
WATCH: Tom Stoltman Laps A 300kg Atlas Stone
Strongman Tom Stoltman took another step toward accomplishing an incredible feat.
It is no surprise to see strongman Tom Stoltman attempting, and pulling off, something crazy with an Atlas stone. In a recent Instagram post, Stoltman is seen lapping a 300kg (661.4lb) stone — and he did it with ease.
The video continues with Stoltman explaining that this lift took place before the 2020 World’s Strongest Man competition. Stoltman made it clear that he wants to become the first person ever to load a 300kg stone. In the video, Stoltman makes the life look easy and that might make some question how difficult it actually is. To put it in perspective, it is unknown if a 300kg Atlas stone has ever been lifted off the ground before.
“300KG ATLAS STONE
Who is ready for history in 2022.A feat of strength that will be talked about for decades!!#stoltmanbrothers#worldstrongestman#stoltmanstrength #wr”
The Scottish strongman, known as the “King of Stones,” is no stranger to world records. He currently holds the Atlas stone record of 286kg (630.5lb). Since taking over this mark at the World’s Ultimate Strongman “Feats Of Strength”, Stoltman has been working his way up to the 300kg mark. Stoltman won the 2021 World’s Strongest Man and will attempt to go back-to-back at the 2022 competition. It is unknown if he will try to break his own record at the event.
In the video, Stoltman reveals that he believes he could lift a 310kg (683.4lb) stone with the right preparation for about three months. After watching his recent lift in rather casual clothing and what seemed to be minimal effort, it is hard to argue with his claim.
Tom Stoltman has had great success during the WSM competitions. He has appeared in four and has three top-five finishes. This includes coming in second in 2020, behind Oleksii Novikov, and his victory in 2021. There will be another chance to see something incredible during the 2022 competition.
We know that Stoltman has his eye on the 300kg lift but we will have to wait and see when he attempts to pull it off. One thing that is certain is that when Tom Stoltman steps up to an Atlas stone, there should be plenty of eyes on him.
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Hafthor Bjornsson ‘Wouldn’t Say No’ To Fight With Logan Paul
Hafthor Bjornsson not against the idea of fighting Logan Paul in the future.
Hafthor Bjornsson has not been shy about documenting his venture into the boxing game after making the transition from strongman. Bjornsson has flooded his Instagram page with different training videos showing off his recent progress. This was all in preparation for a showdown with fellow strongman turned boxer, Eddie Hall.
This fight has been postponed after Hall suffered a bicep tear. This leaves Bjornsson open for a new opponent and he served up an opinion on a rather well-known name in a recent interview.
Hafthor Bjornsson made it clear that he would be open to the idea of fighting Logan Paul if the opportunity presented itself.
“If he would want to fight me, I wouldn’t say no.”
“I mean, Logan Paul fought Floyd Mayweather and there was some height difference between those those guys plus weight difference. Logan Paul is 188cm tall, I’m 205cm, so I think there was a similar height differences from Floyd to Logan as Logan to me, but probably more weight difference, though.”
This would pair two fighters who made a name for themselves in different areas. Bjornsson set the deadlift world record of 501kg in May 2020. He took the record from Hall, who previously held it at 500kg since 2016. This was the initial intrigue of the Bjornsson-Hall boxing match. Paul became a YouTube sensation, along with his brother Jake, and now both are trying to make it in the boxing world.
This is something that Bjornsson acknowledged and admitted that he respects.
“You know, boxing is always huge, boxing is huge,” Bjornsson said. “But getting two brothers like the Paul brothers, who have millions and millions of followers following them, it’s just gonna get more attention to the sport. So I think it’s a good thing. It’s a good thing, because they’re taking it serious as well. I’ve seen at the beginning a lot of criticism and stuff like that, but, you know, you have two young brothers that are very successful, very dedicated, and motivated.”
Hafthor Bjornsson referenced the exhibition fight between Paul and Mayweather. This is a fight that went the distance and there was not a winner. There were mixed feelings after the fight because of the reason it happened and the effort put forth by both fighters. Regardless, Paul stepped into the ring with Mayweather and this shows that boxing is something he takes seriously.
Jake Paul has three professional fights under his belt to this point. He has picked up victories against fellow YouTuber AnEsonGib, former NBA player Nate Robinson, and MMA fighter Ben Askren. He is scheduled to take on Tyron Woodley on Aug. 29. There are no plans as of now for Logan Paul’s next fight. He has been linked to Conor McGregor but that does not seem to be on the horizon.
The same can be said about Hafthor Bjornsson. After his fight with Hall was postponed, there is no immediate for Bjornsson to face. He has been active in training and serious in his dedication to boxing. This means that a new opponent could surface quickly and Bjornsson could get back in the ring.
There will be more updates provided on Hollingshead’s status as it becomes available. For more news and updates, follow Generation Iron on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Oleksii Novikov Bounces Back, Wins 2021 Giants Live Strongman Classic
Oleksii Novikov gets back to his winning ways at the 2021 Giants Live Strongman Classic.
2020 World’s Strongest Man Oleksii Novikov made a return to action, picking up a victory at the 2021 Giants Live Strongman Classic. After issuing in a less than ideal performance at the 2021 World’s Strongest Man, Novikov was able to once again assert himself in the strongman rankings with this major win.
Taking place at the legendary Royal Albert Hall in London, England, the 2021 Giants Live Strongman Classic featured some of the best of the best in the sport. Namely 2020 World’s Strongest Man Oleksii Novikov took part and won the show.
After being knocked out of the 2021 World’s Strongest Man early, Oleksii Novikov needed a big win to show that he was still one of the strongest on the planet. Novikov was riding a huge wave of momentum after his showing at the 2020 WSM. It was halted a bit after his performance at the 2021 show.
That said, Oleksii Novikov on cue again proved that he still has the potential to be the future of strongman. He went to battle against fellow impressive strongman competitors Evan Singleton and Cheick “Irom Biby” Sanou who took second and third respectively. The three strongman showcased some pretty impressive strength at the show.
WOW what a venue what a show !!!Well done to all the athletes but HUGE congratulations to the podium winners1st place @novikov_strong_wsm ?2nd place @evan_trex_strongman3rd place @ironbiby
Below are the final point standings for the 2021 Giants Live Strongman Classic.
2021 Giants Live Strongman Classic Final Point Standings:
Oleksii Novikov: 44.5 points
Evan Singleton: 43 points
Cheick “Iron Biby” Sanou: 37.5 points
Adam Bishop: 33 points
Tom Stoltman: 30 points
Luke Stoltman: 27.5 points
Laurence Shahlaei: 25 points
Gavin Bilton: 22.5 points
Pat O’Dwyer: 21.5 points
Aivars Smaukstelis: 21 points
Mark Felix: 9 points
This was a great win for Oleksii Novikov, a much needed one indeed. Now that he’s back to his winning ways, Novikov has proven he’s a man to keep your eyes on in the future.
What do you think of Oleksii Novikov and his victory at the 2021 Giants Live Strongman Classic?
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Managing Editor at Generation Iron, Jonathan Salmon is a writer, martial arts instructor, and geek culture enthusiast. Check out his YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and Sound Cloud for in-depth MMA analysis.
Iron Biby Sets New Axle Press World Record With 217kg Lift
Cheick Al-Hassan Sanou, known as “Iron Biby”, set a new world record at the 2021 Strongman Classic.
Cheick Al-Hassan Sanou has made a name for himself in the strongman community as “Iron Biby.” On Saturday, Sanou lived up to that nickname by setting a new world record in the Axle Press. Sanou stepped up to the platform and accomplished a 217kg (478.4lb) lift during the 2021 Strongman Classic at Royal Albert Hall in London.
Sanou completed the lift with an overhand/underhand grip and locked out his arms at the top. The judge gave the down command and by the time the weight hit the floor, Iron Biby broke a record that has been in place for four years.
Eddie Hall previously held the record of 216kg that was set during the 2017 Europe’s Strongman contest. Hall topped the 215kg lift accomplished by Zydrunas Savickas in 2011. This marked the second straight instance where this world record has been broken by one kilogram.
Hall took to Instagram to congratulate Sanou and by his words, it is no surprise that Iron Biby was able to break the record.
“Well done to @ironbiby for breaking my world record axle press last night at 217kg ?Iv seen him do 230kg in training at his home gym, but this is where it counts ? ?#Competition #Strongman #Beast#WorldRecord #GiantsLiveBig LoveTeam Beast”
Sanou has completed an unofficial overhead lift of 240kg (529lb) so it is no surprise that he was able to set the new world record. Iron Biby has been making some noise in the powerlifting game for years now. He claimed first place at the World Log Lift Championship 2018 and log lift at the Europe Strongest Man 2019.
Over the weekend, Sanou took home the third place prize overall. Oleksii Novikov, who won the 2020 World’s Strongest Man competition, finished first overall while Evan Singleton was second.
It was a special moment for Sanou and one that he will never forget. This is something he took the time to cherish on social media.
Sanou began his long post by describing the moment and taking time to acknowledge Hall.
“WHAT A SPECIAL NIGHT ✨Was an honor to compete at ROYAL ALBERT HALL . It’s is an iconic arena and the right place for me to Break axle the world record owned by the beast @eddiehallwsm . He is a great man and he inspired to do it . God bless him??Will never forget this day .”
Sanou could have his eye on some more records moving forward. For now, the Axle Press record is his and it will be a tough one to top.
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Eddie Hall Tears Bicep, Fight With Hafthor Bjornsson Postponed
Eddie Hall injures his bicep and the Hafthor Bjornsson bout has been postponed.
Well that’s disappointing. Eddie Hall has apparently tore his bicep and is out of his fight with Hafthor Bjornsson. That is definitely not the news anyone wanted to hear. Unfortunately the news is all too true.
It appears that Eddie Hall injured his bicep during his training for his bout with Hafthor Bjornsson. Apparently Eddie Hall threw a lead hook during his training and the muscle tore off the bone. Luckily the strongman was able to get the muscle reattached. The not so sunny news is that the bout with Bjornsson will have to wait.
This is a real bummer, especially since the fight was right around the corner. Both Eddie Hall and Hafthor Bjornsson seemed more than ready to get the show on the road. Unfortunately no one can predict an injury and the injury bug decided to rear it’s ugly, disruptive head just a month out from the big fight.
Eddie Hall went on to explain how the injury occurred. Suffice it to say the strongman was none too happy about the occurrence.
“I’ve had it [the biceps] reattached, which is the good news,” Hall said in a recent video. “All I did was throw a lazy hook — nothing too crazy, just a lazy hook to set up a backhand — and it just snapped off. It’s probably an underlying issue from strongman, probably half detached it and then the hook was enough to take the rest of it off and it rolled up my arm.”
You can see the full video of Eddie Hall here.
To be honest, Eddie Hall may have used some bad technique which is the real culprit. Bad technique can get you severely injured in this game. It’s why many brawlers have a short career in boxing an MMA versus the technically sound competitors.
Moving On
It appears that Hafthor Bjornsson isn’t planning on waiting for his foe to heal up. Instead Bjornsson has chosen to find another opponent for the September date. Bjornsson has already had a number of exhibition bouts over the past year, what’s another?
The only issue is all those tickets sold for a bout that won’t happen. It’s certainly a bitter pill to swallow. Likely refunds will be issued, but the whole situation is just unfortunate. The bout will eventually go down but until that day we’ll simply have to wait for Eddie Hall to heal and Hafthor Bjornsson to take another exhibition bout.
What do think of the Eddie Hall versus Hafthor Bjornsson fight being postponed?
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Managing Editor at Generation Iron, Jonathan Salmon is a writer, martial arts instructor, and geek culture enthusiast. Check out his YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and Sound Cloud for in-depth MMA analysis.
Chris Craft Shows Off Massive 317.5 Squats Without Belt Or Knee Sleeves
Chris Craft posted a recent video on Instagram where he performed huge squats without much help.
No knee sleeves, no belt, no problem for Chris Craft. When it comes to squats, Craft has always been a bit of a freak. Craft took home the prize during the 2021 United States Powerlifting Association Arkansas Powerlifting competition. On Wednesday, Craft took to Instagram to show that he is still in top shape.
Chris Craft performed a 317.5kg (700lb) squat for a double and did it without wearing knee sleeves or a belt.
Not only did Craft load up the weight on the bar and do it raw, he made it look easy in the process. Craft is forced to pause after each rep because of the weight shaking on the bended bar. This is because of the burst that Craft displayed when performing the lift.
This was not the only lift performed on Wednesday by Craft. He also shared a single rep of 319.8kg (705lb). Craft’s best competition squats was 320kg (705.4lb). It seems as though Craft is heading for some big things in the future.
Chris Craft has been a star in the game for half a decade now. Since 2015, Craft has competed in five sanctioned powerlifting competitions and has won gold in all of them. Craft did not share his bodyweight in his recent Instagram video but it is safe to assume that the weight on the bar was more than double his current weight.
The last three competitions Craft has competed in were the 2019 USPA Rhino Iron Massacre, 2021 Southern Powerlifting Federation (SPF) Proving Ground Classic, and the aforementioned USPA Arkansas Powerlifting Championships. He competed in the 140kg (308lb) weight class during these.
Chris Craft’s caption on his recent video was as simple as it gets. He wrote “700 lbs x 2 #RespectTheDepth”.
“Respect the Depth” is a tribute to a training program created by Craft that is centered around squats. Reading int between the lines of this caption, Craft makes a 700-lb squat seem like nothing and it hints that he might have bigger numbers in mind moving forward.
If social media is any indication, it looks like Chris Craft performs squats in the gym on a daily basis. His Instagram page is loaded with videos performing some massive lifts. More often than not, Craft is performing these lifts without any gear. It is unknown when Craft plans to take the stage again at a competition but when he does, there is a chance that he does something special.
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WATCH: Bobby Thompson Partial Deadlift Of 455kg For A Double
Bobby Thompson took to Instagram to show off some recent progression he has made for his next event.
Bobby Thompson has been turning heads for awhile. Now, he is beginning to take it up a notch. On Wednesday, Thompson posted a video on Instagram showing him crush a partial deadlift of 455kg (1,003lb) off 15-inch blocks.
Thompson placed ninth back in June during the 2021 World’s Strongest Man competition. This was his first and certainly will not be his last. Next up is the 2021 Shaw Classic, which will be held from Aug. 27-28 in Estes Park, CO.
By the looks of the video below, Thompson’s preparation is going very well.
In his caption, Bobby Thompson hints that he has not been feeling his best lately and his diet is not what it needs to be. If that is the case and he can still pull off a lift like this, then it will be interesting to see what he can do at full strength.
“Feeling decent atm, past few days were a little longer than expected and diet has been off but I’m still climbing. Solid prep for the @theshawclassic in the works.”
Bobby Thompson currently holds the American log press record of 217.5kg (478.5lb). He accomplished this on April 30 during Anthony Fuhrman’s Clash on the Coast. Now, it looks as though Thompson could be interested in setting some more records this year.
This lift for Thompson is considered a partial deadlift because he is not picking the weight up from the floor. However, he is using blocks that are lower than what they have been during strongman competitions. During the 2020 World’s Strongest Man and 2020 Shaw Classic, a partial deadlift was performed off an 18-inch block.
Bobby Thompson is not shy about showing off some of his incredible feats on his Instagram page. He has posted videos showing off his preparation in specific lifts like deadlifts, squats, and log lifts. At this year’s Shaw Classic, Thompson will compete with Brian Shaw, who won the competition last year, and Zydrunas Savickas.
The all-time partial deadlift record is held by Anthony Pernice. He set this mark in 2020 with a lift of 550kg (1,212lb). With the height of the blocks Thompson has used and his ability to perform it twice, there is a chance is he prepared to do something special at his next event.
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Hafthor Bjornsson vs Eddie Hall: Who Has Better Boxing Skills?
Both Hafthor Bjornsson and Eddie Hall show off their boxing skills on the heavy bag during training.
Hafthor Bjornsson or Eddie Hall. Who appears to be the better boxer heading into their September clash? A recent video of both men working on the heavy bag has proven to be illuminating.
The battle between strongman rivals Hafthor Bjornsson and Eddie Hall is fast approaching. Both men have been prepping hard in the gym ever since the fight was first announced. Now that the date is drawing near the question is becoming who looks to have done the better work in their preparation?
As it stands Hafthor Bjornsson has been putting in more diverse work than Eddie Hall. While Hall has no doubt been training hard for the match, there seems to be a lack of training variety (at least from what we’ve seen). Bjornsson is an entirely different story however. The Icelandic strongman has competed in a number of exhibition matches with pro boxers in the lead up to his bout with Hall. That kind of preparation has likely gotten Bjornsson not only physically but mentally prepared to take on Hall.
Recent videos of both Eddie Hall and Hafthor Bjornsson recently dropped online. Both men can be seen working on the heavy bag and getting some solid rounds in. This has proven to be the perfect opportunity to compare and contrast both men’s styles and approach to training.
Hafthor Bjornsson
12 minutes on the bag with a resistance band. My god my shoulders were pumped after that! ?
We can see that Hafthor Bjornsson is more fleet of foot in his video. What is also clear is that he appears more technically sound than Hall. There’s definitely a smoothness and high quality to his punches that are cleaner than his counterpart’s.
Eddie Hall
1000’s of hours in my basement just plodding away getting s**t done! My cardio level is insane and I loving my new passion for Boxing ? ❤️ RDX heavy bag weighs 150kg ?348lbs / 158kg bodyweight ?
What Eddie Hall lacks in clean technique he clearly is making up for in raw power. The sound of his punches exploding on the heavy bag shows clear signs of massive punching power. If he’s able to hit Bjornsson with one of those bombs, it could end up being a short night.
At the end of the day it remains a toss up as to who will win. It is intriguing to see that both men are focused on different aspects of the game. Where Hafthor Bjornsson appears more technique focused, Eddie Hall is embracing his incredible power. It should prove to be an interesting bout.
Who do you think looks more impressive in their training, Hafthor Bjornsson or Eddie Hall?
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Managing Editor at Generation Iron, Jonathan Salmon is a writer, martial arts instructor, and geek culture enthusiast. Check out his YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and Sound Cloud for in-depth MMA analysis.
Brian Shaw, Tom Stoltman and Other Strongmen Predict Dustin Poirier vs Conor McGregor 3
Strongman competitors pick who they believe will win the third bout between Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor.
The third bout between Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor is upon us. Some UFC were able to catch up with some of the best strongman athletes in the world at the 2021 World’s Strongest Man competition. The competitors gave their predictions on who would win the trilogy at UFC 264.
This weekend will see the conclusion of a trilogy bout for the record books. Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor are set to face off for the third time, both fighters going one and one in this epic series of fights. McGregor took the first bout while Poirier got his revenge in the second. Now the two bitter rivals hope to settle the score once and for all at UFC 264.
Epic Rivalry
The first bout saw Conor McGregor using a fleet footed style, bouncing in and out of range, scoring power shots with pinpoint accuracy. Dustin Poirier had a handful of moments in that first bout, but ultimately it was McGregor who scored a devastating knockout over the future interim lightweight champion.
The rematch would come several years after their first meeting. Conor McGregor had since become a two division champion and one of the most recognized figures on the planet. Dustin Poirier would go on to become the interim lightweight champion after besting Max Holloway.
The second bout between Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor was far different than the first. The first round saw McGregor landing some solid punches, likely winning him the round on all score cards. Despite that however, McGregor sustained significant damage to his legs from the powerful low kicks of Poirier. The second frame would see Poirier continue the assault to the legs that would cripple McGregor and lead to his rival landing solid boxing combinations. Poirier finished the fight, forcing a third meeting between himself and McGregor.
Now the time has arrived and everyone is weighing in on who will win the trilogy. That includes some of the strongest men on the planet. The UFC caught up with the competitors at the 2021 World’s Strongest Man and asked for some predictions. Below is a list of the competitors who gave their predictions.
The Predictions Are In
Terry Hollands – Conor McGregor
Travis Ortmayer – Dustin Poirier
Gavin Bilton – Conor McGregor
Tom Stoltman – Dustin Poirier
Oleksii Novikov – Dustin Poirier
Eddie Hall – Conor McGregor
Evan Singleton – Dustin Poirier
Maxime Boudreault – Conor McGregor
Luke Richardson – Dustin Poirier
JF Caron – Dustin Poirier
Brian Shaw – Dustin Poirier
Mikhail Shivlyakov – Conor McGregor
Zydrunas “Big Z” Zavickas – Conor McGregor
Brian Shaw himself has trained with Dustin Poirier in the past, so no surprise on who he was picking. It will certainly be interesting to see the outcome of the bout. With the strongman competitors favoring Poirier over Conor McGregor 7-6 it’ll be interesting to see who got it right.
Who do you think wins at UFC 264, Dustin Poirier or Conor McGregor?
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Managing Editor at Generation Iron, Jonathan Salmon is a writer, martial arts instructor, and geek culture enthusiast. Check out his YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and Sound Cloud for in-depth MMA analysis.