At 48 years old, Mariusz Pudzianowski maintains an impressive physique, even though he`s moved on from competitive strongman.
Unlike many athletes who follow strict diets, Pudzianowski, the powerful Pole, doesn`t.
Pudzianowski rose to fame in the early 2000s through the World`s Strongest Man competition, which he won a record FIVE TIMES.
The pride of Poland first won the title in 2002 and successfully defended it the next year.
His attempt for a third consecutive win in 2004 was thwarted by a disqualification, leading to a third-place finish.
Pudzianowski returned strongly the following year to reclaim the title, adding further victories in 2007 and 2008.
His final appearance in the tournament was in 2009, where he secured second place.
After dominating the strongman arena, Pudzianowski turned his attention to mixed martial arts.
However, the KSW star needed to reduce some of his massive muscle mass to adapt to the demanding cardio requirements of MMA.
Over the years, Pudzianowski has significantly transformed his physique, shedding weight from his strongman peak of 22 stone to a leaner 19 stone.
Remarkably, he has retained a significant portion of the imposing musculature he was known for during his strongman prime.
And astonishingly, he maintains his large build while eating whatever he desires, whenever he wants.
Mariusz Pudzianowski shows off his incredible strength.
He told MMA Fighting, “I don’t follow any specific diet. I eat everything.
“I can eat 30 chocolate bars, drink two litres of milk, then eat five pounds of ice cream in bed.
“I eat whatever I want, whenever I want, and I always have these impressive muscles on my body.”
The Polish star understood the move to MMA would be challenging and spent nearly a decade adapting his body to the sport`s strenuous requirements.
He acknowledged, “MMA is a different sport than strongman. I had to change everything.
“It took me eight years of training to fundamentally change how my body functions because initially, I couldn’t last five or ten minutes.
“For eight years of my training, I wasn’t able to complete the full ten minutes, which is like two rounds in MMA.
“So it’s completely different; weightlifting and MMA are like two different worlds.
“Even the type of strength needed in MMA and weightlifting is entirely different.
“Just because you can lift 300 kilograms in strongman doesn’t mean that strength will translate well to MMA, because it requires a different kind of strength.”
Pudzianowski has competed in 27 fights since his MMA debut in 2009.
He began his MMA career with impressive back-to-back victories against Marcin Najman and Yusuke Kawaguchi.
However, former UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia stopped his momentum in May 2010 with a second-round TKO win.
KSW, the leading mixed martial arts promotion in mainland Europe, has been Pudzianowski`s consistent home since his loss to Sylvia.
Since then, he has accumulated 15 victories, notably defeating Pride cult hero Bob Sapp.
During this period, Pudzianowski has also faced eight defeats, including recent consecutive TKO losses to Mahmed Khalidov and Artur Szpilka.
One of the most anticipated bouts of his second career is scheduled for Saturday night in the co-main event of KSW 105, where he will face off against fellow former World`s Strongest Man winner Eddie Hall.
He issued a strong warning to `The Beast` before the British strongman`s professional MMA debut.
He stated, “Eddie, you are in for a lot of hard work. I am not going to give up easily.
“You know very well that I fight until the very end. You are about to experience what lack of oxygen feels like. This is not boxing, this is MMA.”
Pudzianowski is a prominent figure in the MMA community, though he admits his career in the sport is nearing its end.
“I am approaching the end of my career,” he said. “The conclusion of this chapter called `sport`.”
“And at some point, I will need to begin a normal life.
“I will certainly continue training, but not as a professional athlete. We will see what happens next.”
Gideon Holt 
Elton Marrow