Former World’s Strongest Man Eddie Hall has made it clear in a recent video that his combat future lies in mixed martial arts rather than boxing, despite receiving numerous offers for boxing and kickboxing matches.
The British strongman recently competed against fellow strongman Marius Pudzianowski. Hall has now been training with newly crowned UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall as part of his preparation for future MMA bouts.
Following Jon Jones’ retirement and Tom Aspinall’s official recognition as the undisputed heavyweight champion, Hall reflected on his training experience with Aspinall.
“I am blessed enough to having trained with Tom,” Hall explained, describing how he reached out via text for sparring sessions ahead of his fight with Pudzianowski.
The training footage reveals the stark difference in skill levels between the two athletes. Hall candidly admitted, “You think you can fight, you think you can wrestle, and then you get in with Tom and you can’t. Trust me, it just makes you feel so inadequate.”
During their three two-minute rounds, Hall struggled with Aspinall’s superior footwork, hand speed, and fight IQ, finding himself constantly outmaneuvered despite the controlled 50% intensity sparring.
Hall’s strategy was simple but limited: “Every single time I see an opportunity, I’m just double jabbing in.” While he managed to land some heavy shots to Aspinall’s chest, he failed to capitalize on these openings, something he identified as a key learning point from the session.
The experience proved humbling for Hall, who noted how effortlessly Aspinall could tire him out through feints and light shots while remaining completely relaxed himself. “For him, it’s just relaxed. He’s just breathing normal, just throwing shots like this, just making me think all the time,” Hall observed.
Despite the challenging experience, Hall has developed a strong relationship with Aspinall, praising him as “super nice, super down to earth, super humble, family man, polite, considerate, just a top bloke.” Hall has been sponsoring Aspinall through his Beast Farm brand for nearly two years.
Looking ahead, Hall remains committed to MMA despite increased offers for boxing and kickboxing. “A lot of the people that wanted to fight me before the Marius fight have now disappeared, or they will only fight me in boxing or kickboxing, they won’t fight me in MMA,” he explained. His preference is clear: “I want to stick to the MMA.”
Hall acknowledges potential opponents like Francis Ngannou and Jon Jones are “well out of my league,” but he’s motivated by the possibility of landing his signature knockout power. “You get that sweet one on the chin, 4 oz glove full power. Get that on the chin, I don’t care who you are, you’re getting knocked out,” he stated confidently.
The strongman continues developing his MMA skills, working extensively on kicks and ground game techniques, eager to secure another high-profile bout in the cage rather than the boxing ring.
