Great to hear these stories about Pudzain. You could see it in his eyes when he competed. He always gave everything, and then some. Such a competitive dude.
It often seems like Mariusz doesn’t get the respect he deserves, people always want to qualify his success by saying better competition was elsewhere or the events were tailored to him. The guy was incredible, and although some guys went to compete elsewhere he’d already beat most of them in competition. He had no control over who went where.
I agree. He definitely deserves more respect. He was an absolute machine, more driven to win than anyone in history. Even more competitive than Eddie Hall, and that's saying something!!
It is and i think thats what pfister mentioned. Mariusz came on and he was fenomonal he kept up for a few years and dominated. Defeated zydrunas on multiple occasions but he didnt have longevity that zydrunas had and both these things are impressive.
It’s great to hear behind the scenes stories about competitors like Mariusz who even though he was a 5 time champion, I feel we knew little about as it was before the age of social media. Love your chats with the older legends who have so many stories to share.
Great interview and kudos to Phil for giving Mariusz his due respect. Yes yes, the split and everything blah blah when you watch WSM now, they show a couple of clips of him and rarely ever mention his name. This is disgusting to say what he achieved against some of the strongest men in the world.
I still remember when as a kid I switched tv to espn and there was Phil Pfister walking while lifting a car, and after he won that race, he just tore open his tshirt and I saw his massive shoulders and insane amount of muscles on his body. That was my introduction to the world of strongman.
Mine was in 2006 also hahaha. As a guy who was born in the US but grew up with Polish parents (who were born in Poland and were very proud of it), watching the WSM 2006 finals left quite an impression on me. I was devastated that Mariusz let that one slip away from him. But as I got older, I learned to appreciate Pfister’s 2006 win more. Mariusz is still the GOAT to me though.
Great discussion Loz! I think Mariusz is tremendously underrated, which is a ridiculous thing to say given he's a 5 time WSM. What he lacked in static strength (though he was still gorilla strong), he made up for in sheer intensity and mental strength. I'd say him and Kaz are probably the most intense and competitive strongmen to have ever competed.
Thank you so incredibility much for doing this interview, I'm a huge Phil Pfister fan. Phil evaluated the greats in the sport better than anyone I've ever heard, and when he said that 'one of the defining characteristic of strength is the ability to endure', that's a really profound statement. That statement transcends strongman, and is applicable to all walks of life. Can we endure the challenges set before us? Can we persist through adversity? Can we accomplish what we set out to do again and again? I feel like Phi answered one of life's big questions.
Phil Pfister is my all time favorite strongman. It was so nice to see him and hear him talk about strongman with you, Laurence. Thank you for uploading this video and Merry Christmas! :-D
Phil Pfister always came across as such a nice, unassuming guy. Sorry to see Pudzianowski lose...but ecstatic to see Pfister win! It was great to see him compete all those years. Always a favorite of mine. I loved that guy!
Although Marius is the only competitor to win 5 WSM titles, the fact that zedrunas has been consistently competing at WSM for OVER 2 decades is testament to his incredible tenacity, and just why Zedrunas Savikas, is the G.O.A.T!
@Carl Gambino Big z won 8 Arnold’s strongman classics puds won zero z also had 2 ifsa world titles aswell as x4 wsm I think it’s safe to say big z is the goat
Has Pfister also said something about Svend Karlsen? In my opinion Karlsen was always a fascinating character with strong will power. Also Magnus Samuelsson. Pudzianowski was crazy but very impressive. This atleticism. Kieliszkowksi exactly the same.
I hope you will make more short videos like this. Although I'm a strongman fan the 30min+ interviews are too long in my opinion (unless it's with Kaz or Big Z of course).
I remember watching that contest where he just barely edged out Marius. Main,y because of my dad pausing the Tivo and saying “Did he just say ‘oh fuck?’” Played it back and sure enough, Marius visibly dropped the f bomb.
Great stuff! Highlighting Phils point, this 6 foot guy winning a mainly giants only comp!! Thinking back, this fact including his character and dominance is actually still super intriguing. His rise to top story would be as crazy as him!
Pudzianowski is the Michael Jordan of Strongman. There are many similarities: both had short careers, both dominated like no one before or since, both had their mindset as their greatest strength, both were competitive to the point of being psychopatic, both were somewhat of a "bad boy" in their sport, etc, etc. I personally prefer quality over quantity all day everyday, so I'm not gonna hold his short career against him but rather look at his winning percentage at WSM and in general. In that regard no one achieved as much, in such a short time. That's quality, that's dominance, that's what makes him the GOAT. Simple.
@@williamkelly5689 well compared to dudes like Mark Felix, Big Z, M. Samuelsson it's quite short. And that's my point, that he did more than almost anybody else in a way shorter time. 5 WSM, 6 ESM, 2 (or 3?) time Super Series champion, all the national championships, etc. in the span of just 9 years (18 months of which were spent in jail). That's what makes him special.
No one apart from Verastyuk, Mvm, Ahola, and Kaz, infact, they actually won more during their careers compared to time competing, than Mariusz did. Mariusz competed at the Arnold's 3 times and showed that he wasn't on the same level strength wise compared to the stronger athletes. He also competed against big Z 4 times at the wolds finals and only placed ahead of him twice, whereas big Z placed ahead of him every time at the Arnold's. From 04 onwards big Z had surpassed him. World's 04 he was disqualified after the competition had finished, but he had only placed 3rd behind Z and Verastyuk. Kaz was blocked from competing at worlds because he was far to good. On that alone, your description of the goat would actually be Kaz.
@@daveaglasgow Lol why are you mad kiddo? We're mostly on the same page. My top 5 is Pudz, Kaz, MVM, Z and Shaw with Ahola also in the top 10. I put Pudz first because he has the record for WSM (and ESM) wins and he'll have it for a long time. As for the Arnold thing I can counter that by asking how many times has Z won ESM while Mariusz was active. Google it, just for fun. And between the two, ESM was a way bigger comp than the Arnold which was brand new in the 2000s and had 0 tradition in the sport. So Z didn't surpass shit and if you're going to penalize Pudz for the Arnolds, you have to penalize Z for ESM. Only seems fair.
With more events you could include lots of static and still get a lot of all round events. 10 events would be great, squat, deadlift and press. Only one third of the comp, would be brilliant. A true strongman.
Still remember that vid of ahola training and doing deadlifts. He pulled 360kg for a triple (at 120kg body wt!) With his nose just p#ssing blood out abd he just keeps going for a 4th (and almost gets it)
In 2006 Mariusz had come out and won the 1st 2 events but then Phil made his run but it looked like Mariusz thought he only had to show up to win, for me watching it back he wasn't putting as much energy into some events
Phil Pfister and Mariusz Pudzianowski were the guys who piqued my interest in Strongman and I've been a fan ever since! And of course Big Z! Great content, Lawrence!
The format of the Arnold vs WSM from 2003-2009 was WAY too different for any single athlete to win both in one year. As a matter of fact NO ONE won both an Arnold and a WSM in the same year between 2003-2009. Zydrunas did not compete in the Arnold in 2009 and instead focused to win the 2009 WSM. Around 2010 the formats of both contests became much more similar, however it would not be until 2014 that Zydrunas could win both in the same year. Likewise, Mariusz could not win both despite competing in both. I'd like to also bring up the point that Mariusz competed at the Arnold Strongman Classic in 2006 despite the split between the IFSA and WSM. So, cross competition WAS possible. Mariusz was not avoiding Zydrunas. He did not turn down an opportunity to compete and showed Zydrunas respect by stepping into his house in 2003, 2004 and 2006. Zydrunas and Mariusz were friends and often times could be seen with their arms over each other's shoulders in comradery. I do not know the exact reason why Zydrunas did not come to WSM from 2005-2008 but I am sure there was a good reason. Injury, over training, pressure from IFSA, who knows?
This my take on the whole Mariusz Pudzianowski and Zydrunas Savickas debate, if Zydrunas Savickas was such the man, why did he go to the other organization knowing the best strongmen in the world where in the WSM? I'm not sure how many times Mariusz handed defeat him but it was enough, I think he went to the other organization cause he got tired of Mariusz handing him his ass, Mariusz Pudzianowski is the only 5 time winner of WSM making him the KING of WSM period..... so the real question becomes, if he had stayed in WSM, how many more times could he have won??
Great to hear these stories about Pudzain. You could see it in his eyes when he competed. He always gave everything, and then some. Such a competitive dude.
🇵🇱🏆 polska gora
didnt he win his first worlds strongest man after recently getting out of prison for attacking a mob boss
It often seems like Mariusz doesn’t get the respect he deserves, people always want to qualify his success by saying better competition was elsewhere or the events were tailored to him. The guy was incredible, and although some guys went to compete elsewhere he’d already beat most of them in competition. He had no control over who went where.
I agree. He definitely deserves more respect. He was an absolute machine, more driven to win than anyone in history. Even more competitive than Eddie Hall, and that's saying something!!
It is and i think thats what pfister mentioned. Mariusz came on and he was fenomonal he kept up for a few years and dominated. Defeated zydrunas on multiple occasions but he didnt have longevity that zydrunas had and both these things are impressive.
They went somewhere else because They couldnt compete with him.
I love me some Phil. He's always seemed like such a decent guy.
Would be great to hear from Mariusz and Juko.
Mariusz, ist der stärkste aller Zeiten und würde gerne hören, was er zu sagen hat
@@scottfolsom7051 Ja też.
@@scottfolsom7051 was bist denn du für einer :'D
Mariusz doesnt speak english so it will be difficult
It’s great to hear behind the scenes stories about competitors like Mariusz who even though he was a 5 time champion, I feel we knew little about as it was before the age of social media. Love your chats with the older legends who have so many stories to share.
Mariusz has been doing mma in KSW. They're based in Poland. I believe since 2009 or 2010.
Great interview and kudos to Phil for giving Mariusz his due respect. Yes yes, the split and everything blah blah when you watch WSM now, they show a couple of clips of him and rarely ever mention his name. This is disgusting to say what he achieved against some of the strongest men in the world.
Have you tried to get Ahola as a guest on the show Loz?
I still remember when as a kid I switched tv to espn and there was Phil Pfister walking while lifting a car, and after he won that race, he just tore open his tshirt and I saw his massive shoulders and insane amount of muscles on his body. That was my introduction to the world of strongman.
Mine was in 2006 also hahaha. As a guy who was born in the US but grew up with Polish parents (who were born in Poland and were very proud of it), watching the WSM 2006 finals left quite an impression on me. I was devastated that Mariusz let that one slip away from him. But as I got older, I learned to appreciate Pfister’s 2006 win more. Mariusz is still the GOAT to me though.
Great discussion Loz! I think Mariusz is tremendously underrated, which is a ridiculous thing to say given he's a 5 time WSM. What he lacked in static strength (though he was still gorilla strong), he made up for in sheer intensity and mental strength. I'd say him and Kaz are probably the most intense and competitive strongmen to have ever competed.
He is definitely not underrated tho. Anybody who knows anything about strongman has him in the top 3 all time. Along with Shaw and Z
Kaz was probably 4th in my opinion
@@seanyager3177 I literally see peolpe daily in the community shit on Mariusz which is crazy
Phil Pfister is the only reason I ever had an enduring interest in WSM. Always seemed like a decent, no nonsense guy. Thx for video!
I'm glad to hear Mr.Phister mention some the winners of the past that don't get enough press-like Ahola!
Thank you so incredibility much for doing this interview, I'm a huge Phil Pfister fan. Phil evaluated the greats in the sport better than anyone I've ever heard, and when he said that 'one of the defining characteristic of strength is the ability to endure', that's a really profound statement. That statement transcends strongman, and is applicable to all walks of life. Can we endure the challenges set before us? Can we persist through adversity? Can we accomplish what we set out to do again and again? I feel like Phi answered one of life's big questions.
Great to hear you talk with other strongman about memories and competitors !!
This was a great interview!!
Phil Pfister is my all time favorite strongman. It was so nice to see him and hear him talk about strongman with you, Laurence. Thank you for uploading this video and Merry Christmas! :-D
Phil Pfister always came across as such a nice, unassuming guy. Sorry to see Pudzianowski lose...but ecstatic to see Pfister win! It was great to see him compete all those years. Always a favorite of mine. I loved that guy!
Legends of the sport, great rivalry
Phil was legit in his time, real strong dude. Pudz speaks English half decent now, have you tried to get him on the webcast?
Thats a great idea
Loz said he tried to get him on the show but Mariusz didn't want to.
@@adamborivoj3048 Pudzian can speak English, but not fluently. Probably that's why he said no
Mariusz weiß, dass er der Beste ist und nicht damit prahlen muss. Er hat schon 5 Mal gewonnen
Interviewer: Mariusz, what is your diet like?
Mariusz: yes yes of course
one of my favorite strength athletes ever! big love to all people :)
Ahola was so fucking good...insane traps
Although Marius is the only competitor to win 5 WSM titles, the fact that zedrunas has been consistently competing at WSM for OVER 2 decades is testament to his incredible tenacity, and just why Zedrunas Savikas, is the G.O.A.T!
Zydrunas
wie? Mariusz, war immer konkurrierender als jeder andere. Wo hast du deine Mathe gelernt?
@Carl Gambino ja, ich stimme zu
@Carl Gambino Big z won 8 Arnold’s strongman classics puds won zero z also had 2 ifsa world titles aswell as x4 wsm I think it’s safe to say big z is the goat
i watched strongman in 00s as a young man and i remember Pudzianowski always was first and Zydrunas the second
If have hm back again ask him what he meant exactly by “I did it my way, and no one can stop you if you want to do it your way.” - Phil Pfister
It's funny how Poles and Lithuanians were leading the world strongest men contest. Commonwealth intensifies.
Has Pfister also said something about Svend Karlsen? In my opinion Karlsen was always a fascinating character with strong will power. Also Magnus Samuelsson. Pudzianowski was crazy but very impressive. This atleticism. Kieliszkowksi exactly the same.
I hope you will make more short videos like this. Although I'm a strongman fan the 30min+ interviews are too long in my opinion (unless it's with Kaz or Big Z of course).
This was really insightful and cool to hear
Mariusz and z were amazing
I remember watching that contest where he just barely edged out Marius. Main,y because of my dad pausing the Tivo and saying “Did he just say ‘oh fuck?’” Played it back and sure enough, Marius visibly dropped the f bomb.
Great stuff! Highlighting Phils point, this 6 foot guy winning a mainly giants only comp!!
Thinking back, this fact including his character and dominance is actually still super intriguing. His rise to top story would be as crazy as him!
I remember Phil when he went on to win wsm he looked terrible in the heats but soon as he got to the final it was a total different story
Talking to Mariusz on your channel would be awesome.
You gotta get a translator for that because his English is not great
@@williamkelly5689 You probably will see Kieliszkowski & Savickas train together in short future
Pudzian doesnt speak english and its a shame. He has a lot to say for sure, our dominator 🇵🇱🏆
Good job. Interesting likeable guy.
Pudzianowski is the Michael Jordan of Strongman. There are many similarities: both had short careers, both dominated like no one before or since, both had their mindset as their greatest strength, both were competitive to the point of being psychopatic, both were somewhat of a "bad boy" in their sport, etc, etc.
I personally prefer quality over quantity all day everyday, so I'm not gonna hold his short career against him but rather look at his winning percentage at WSM and in general. In that regard no one achieved as much, in such a short time. That's quality, that's dominance, that's what makes him the GOAT. Simple.
@@williamkelly5689 well compared to dudes like Mark Felix, Big Z, M. Samuelsson it's quite short. And that's my point, that he did more than almost anybody else in a way shorter time. 5 WSM, 6 ESM, 2 (or 3?) time Super Series champion, all the national championships, etc. in the span of just 9 years (18 months of which were spent in jail). That's what makes him special.
No one apart from Verastyuk, Mvm, Ahola, and Kaz, infact, they actually won more during their careers compared to time competing, than Mariusz did. Mariusz competed at the Arnold's 3 times and showed that he wasn't on the same level strength wise compared to the stronger athletes. He also competed against big Z 4 times at the wolds finals and only placed ahead of him twice, whereas big Z placed ahead of him every time at the Arnold's. From 04 onwards big Z had surpassed him. World's 04 he was disqualified after the competition had finished, but he had only placed 3rd behind Z and Verastyuk. Kaz was blocked from competing at worlds because he was far to good. On that alone, your description of the goat would actually be Kaz.
@@daveaglasgow Lol why are you mad kiddo? We're mostly on the same page. My top 5 is Pudz, Kaz, MVM, Z and Shaw with Ahola also in the top 10. I put Pudz first because he has the record for WSM (and ESM) wins and he'll have it for a long time.
As for the Arnold thing I can counter that by asking how many times has Z won ESM while Mariusz was active. Google it, just for fun. And between the two, ESM was a way bigger comp than the Arnold which was brand new in the 2000s and had 0 tradition in the sport. So Z didn't surpass shit and if you're going to penalize Pudz for the Arnolds, you have to penalize Z for ESM. Only seems fair.
9 years is not that short in strongman.
@@adrianpap1374 whos the one getting mad? Calm down kiddo
Loz as a big fan of having more events would u want squat, deadlift and log/axel in all competitions
Sure or maybe something different like a back lift
With more events you could include lots of static and still get a lot of all round events. 10 events would be great, squat, deadlift and press. Only one third of the comp, would be brilliant. A true strongman.
@@williamkelly5689 They have some rowing events in strongman, the different pulling, like the boat pull from 2009 resemble a rowing movement.
Pudzian was called The Dominator for a reason 🇵🇱 he made Poland proud, absolute legend 🌍🏆 shame he cannot speak good English I bet he has a lot to say
Still remember that vid of ahola training and doing deadlifts. He pulled 360kg for a triple (at 120kg body wt!) With his nose just p#ssing blood out abd he just keeps going for a 4th (and almost gets it)
thanks
Phil Pfister is a legend!!!!
In 2006 Mariusz had come out and won the 1st 2 events but then Phil made his run but it looked like Mariusz thought he only had to show up to win, for me watching it back he wasn't putting as much energy into some events
Phil Pfister and Mariusz Pudzianowski were the guys who piqued my interest in Strongman and I've been a fan ever since! And of course Big Z! Great content, Lawrence!
Bring the title back home!
Big Z is the strongest man to ever walk the 🌎
@Carl Gambino he's good but not as good as Big Z
Z is the GOAT
The format of the Arnold vs WSM from 2003-2009 was WAY too different for any single athlete to win both in one year. As a matter of fact NO ONE won both an Arnold and a WSM in the same year between 2003-2009. Zydrunas did not compete in the Arnold in 2009 and instead focused to win the 2009 WSM. Around 2010 the formats of both contests became much more similar, however it would not be until 2014 that Zydrunas could win both in the same year. Likewise, Mariusz could not win both despite competing in both.
I'd like to also bring up the point that Mariusz competed at the Arnold Strongman Classic in 2006 despite the split between the IFSA and WSM. So, cross competition WAS possible. Mariusz was not avoiding Zydrunas. He did not turn down an opportunity to compete and showed Zydrunas respect by stepping into his house in 2003, 2004 and 2006. Zydrunas and Mariusz were friends and often times could be seen with their arms over each other's shoulders in comradery. I do not know the exact reason why Zydrunas did not come to WSM from 2005-2008 but I am sure there was a good reason. Injury, over training, pressure from IFSA, who knows?
Phil looks swedish and Lawrence looks Iranian
Ahola vs marius
Sad it won’t snow here in Maine, all rain and extreme winds
This my take on the whole Mariusz Pudzianowski and Zydrunas Savickas debate, if Zydrunas Savickas was such the man, why did he go to the other organization knowing the best strongmen in the world where in the WSM? I'm not sure how many times Mariusz handed defeat him but it was enough, I think he went to the other organization cause he got tired of Mariusz handing him his ass, Mariusz Pudzianowski is the only 5 time winner of WSM making him the KING of WSM period..... so the real question becomes, if he had stayed in WSM, how many more times could he have won??
From the top 25 athletes only 3-4 stayed with WSM. Pudz and Dymek were the only two from top 10.
So your completely wrong on your take on things!!
Most of the strongest athletes moved to IFSA. Please watch Loz’s video on the top 10 strongmen ever.
wie kann er nicht der stärkste Mann sein, der es fünfmal gewonnen hat... einfache Mathe,.......Marius !!!!!
Savickas, Virastyuk and Koklyaev did not participate in WSM 2005 - 2008 they were stronger than Marius (and Phil)
@Carl Gambino In 2004 both Vasyl and Z already beat Mariusz. And especially Z kept improving rapidly.
Mariusz and Jouko would be super guests Loz.
For sure If only Mariusz would speak english 😅😅