Eddie Hall's next MMA target? 'I want to rip Dillon Danis' legs and arms off his torso'
Eddie Hall was the literal biggest winner of this past combat sports weekend.
Tasked with facing fellow mastodon and former World's Strongest Man Mariusz Pudzianowski, the 330-pound super heavyweight Hall won his professional MMA debut at KSW 105 in a mere 30 seconds. Although Hall had a "freak show" two-on-one matchup in 2024, Pudzianowski was his first traditional MMA fight.
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No stranger to the pressure of the bright lights, Hall said on Wednesday's edition of "The Ariel Helwani Show" that he was relatively calm in the buildup — until it was time to make the walk.
"To get the win was absolutely amazing," Hall said. "Very first time stepping into the octagon, and of course the nerves were absolutely through the roof, as you can imagine. But I managed to step in and do the business.
"The nerves are probably a little bit more because it's a fight. I think if you're into competition, and you sort of have that control, you sort of know the outcome in Strongman. You know you're going to do 10 reps with that weight. You know you're going to do 20 meters of that truck. But with fighting, you don't know the outcome, and that, of course, triggers that fight or flight scenario a little bit more."
In contrast to Hall, the fight was Pudzianowski's 28th in his MMA career. The Polish monster has been no stranger to crazy, car-crash types of matchups, so from a spectator perspective, something had to give in the battle of behemoths. Hall, however, was stunned that he put away the strongman legend as quickly as he did.
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"I convinced myself it was going to be a full eight minutes, two four-minute rounds," Hall said.
"It was a bit of a weird one because, as I say, I was more than willing to stand and exchange with Mariusz for two four-minute rounds, but when you catch somebody and you can see it in their eyes that they're sort of losing consciousness — and that's what happened. It was a one-two, and I sort of missed the two, and went back into a second two and caught him right in the cheek, in the front of the face. And I saw his eyes roll a little bit, so I was like, 'Right, this is my time. Just pounce.' That could have happened after four minutes, but it happened 10 seconds into the fight. It was just crazy.
"You sort of see red," Hall continued. "You just know you have to give 100% of aggression. When someone gets those eyes rolled in the back of their head, you've just got to finish them off. Keep that pressure on constantly, because if they get consciousness again, then you're back to square one."
After the fight, there were concerns that Hall may have broken his hand because of how much it swelled. Ultimately, the Brit says he's fine and could return to action tomorrow.
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Despite its short duration, the fight wasn't flawless or without issue. Hall and the referee garnered flak afterward for a questionable finishing sequence that saw some of Hall's punches land to the back of the head. If there were one big regret about the experience, that would be it for the MMA newcomer.
"If I could go back in time and not hit the back of his head, I would," Hall said. "I would say I massively regret it, but it just happened so fast. It was my first fight. You're trying to hit the front of his face. He's turning his head, he's giving the back of his head to you — it's just one of those things.
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"I hold my hands up — it happened. One shot is too many to the back of the head, so nevermind two or three. I just hold my hands up, massively apologize."
Hall, 37, has one more fight left on his contract with KSW and it's supposed to be a rematch against Pudzianowski. He's happy to run it back with his strongman idol, but Hall only wants it on his terms, meaning two-minute rounds as opposed to their previous four.
The "freak show" concept is the lane Hall plans to stay in, whether starting with a Pudzianowski sequel or otherwise. There has already been speculation about a possible David vs. Goliath-style bout, pitting Hall against former welterweight prospect Dillon Danis. Misfits Boxing has been the promotion to express interest in the pairing, and Hall would gladly accept.
"Misfits mentioned this fight back in March," Hall said of Danis. "They said it was in talks, they said it was going to happen, but the weight difference couldn't make it. I never got a part of that conversation.
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"They put this thing out on Instagram, saying it nearly happened. Well, if it nearly happened, it was news to me because I was never a part of any conversation to fight Dillon Danis. Then I saw that, and I was like, 'Right, OK, let's go for it.' Then the Mariusz fight, there's been a lot of talk of it, and I would love to take that [Danis] fight.
Eddie Hall is a very large man. ()
(John Phillips via Getty Images)
"I think that's exactly what this freak fighting is," he continued. "It's like someone with zero experience, coming in and fighting a world champion. And Dillon Danis may not be a good striker, but he is one of, if not the best in the world at jiu-jitsu. You put a world champion in jiu-jitsu against a 150 kg (330 pounds) ex-world's strongest man, what happens? And I think that is entertainment. I think that is something people want to see. ... I want to rip Dillon Danis' legs and arms off his torso."
Before his pro MMA debut, Hall made it clear that he wasn't trying to be the best fighter in the world or go on a title run. That doesn't mean he isn't open to the idea of an elite-level opponent, though.
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How about Francis Ngannou, who KSW has already thrown out for fantasy purposes? Others like BKFC heavyweight champion Ben Rothwell have called for a Hall clash as well, and the behemoth Brit couldn't help but laugh at the suggestions. If he's offered enough money though, it would be hard to say no.
"F***ing hell," Hall laughed when asked about Ngannou. "A bit like that Ben Rothwell, you're basically chucking me in with the wolves. I would need a bit of time. I would need a lot of training, and it would have to be a lot of money, but I think with anything in life, if the money is right, I would take it.
"The only way I'd fight Francis Ngannou would be a hell of a training camp. I'd probably want a good six to nine months, training with top-level athletes and top camps. The money would have to be good. You're literally putting your life on the line. But I think the funny thing about that, Francis Ngannou outclasses me in every single way possible in the fight world. It's not unknown that if I catch him, if I throw that right hand and it just gets him on the end of the chin, it can happen. It's that unknown.
"So I wouldn't be going in thinking I've got zero chance, but it would have to be a big money incentive for me to do that, and put my life on the line going in the ring with someone like Ngannou."
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