Mariusz Zbigniew Pudzianowski (; born 7 February 1977), also known as 'Pudzian' and 'Dominator', is a Polish former strongman and mixed martial artist. With 43 international titles at a record 70% win percentage, 58 total wins, 71 podiums and 28 world records in his strongman career.

During his career as a strongman, Pudzianowski won five World's Strongest Man titles in 2002, 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2008, the most in the 48 year history of the competition.Most wins of the World's Strongest Man:The most wins of the World's Strongest Man competition is five by Mariusz Pudzianowski He also won two runner-up titles in 2006 and 2009 and made 9 out of 9 appearances into the World's Strongest Man final (a feat replicated only by Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson since then). While securing eight World Strongman Cup Federation wins and twelve Strongman Super Series wins, he also won the Europe's Strongest Man title a record six times and the Poland's Strongest Man title a record seven times.

In 2009, Pudzianowski started his career as a mixed martial artist. By 2022, he had won his 17th professional fight.

Early years Mariusz Pudzianowski was born in Biała Rawska, Poland. His father, Wojciech, was a weightlifter. Pudzianowski quickly became interested in sports. Since the age of 11, he has been training the Kyokushin style of karate. His current grade is 4th kyu green belt. He began strength training at the age of thirteen. When he was fifteen, Pudzianowski also started training boxing, quitting after seven years. Pudzianowski debuted in professional sports at the age of sixteen, taking part in Polish Weightlifting Championship, in the bench press event.

Imprisonment In 2000 and 2001, Pudzianowski spent 19 months in Łowicz prison for assault. In an interview, he said he wanted to stop a "local mafia boss", and he got accused of assault and stealing his golden chain. Pudzianowski was incarcerated in prison in Łowicz. Several years later he arranged a resocialization meeting for the prisoners at the same penal institution.

Strongman career

On 1 May 1999 Pudzianowski entered his first Strongman competition, held in Płock, Poland. He achieved his first major success at the international level at the 2000 World's Strongest Man contest where he finished fourth in his first WSM competition. Due to his prison sentence, he did not return for the 2001 competition.

Pudzianowski returned at the 2002 World's Strongest Man and won his first title. He retained his title at the 2003 World's Strongest Man with an event to spare, winning by the largest margin ever achieved in the competition; across the seven disciplines in the final, he scored a remarkable four first place finishes, two second place finishes and one third place finish, resulting in the points margin between first and second (20) being greater than the margin between second and ninth (18). British strongman Laurence Shahlaei has since called this performance the most dominant victory ever seen at a World's Strongest Man event. In March 2004, he also became the Strongman Super Series World Champion.

He initially finished third in the 2004 World's Strongest Man but was later disqualified for breaching the governing body's Strongman Health Policy. He was forced to return his prize money, stripped of the International Federation of Strength Athletes points from the event, and received a one-year ban from competition. Pudzianowski did not dispute his banned substance violation and waived his right to have his stool sample verified.

In 2005, he made his return to World's Strongest Man event. After a slow start in the final's first two events, after which he found himself 7 points behind the leader in seventh place, he proceeded to dominate the rest of the event with five first place finishes in a row in the final five disciplines, winning the title with an event to spare.

In the 2006 World's Strongest Man contest, despite starting the final well, he eventually came second to Phil Pfister after the American won the final five events in a row. Pudzianowski regained his title in 2007, winning the final with one event to spare for a record-breaking third time. In so doing, he joined Jon Pall Sigmarsson and Magnus Ver Magnusson as the only men to win the competition four times. During the 2007 competition, however, Pudzianowski said that his target was to become the only person to win the event five times, and he returned to the 2008 World's Strongest Man the following year to try to achieve his goal.

Despite a serious calf injury suffered in the Polish Strongman Championship Cup of 2008 and further exacerbated during the WSM qualifying rounds, Pudzianowski still managed to win his heat and qualify for the final. However, it was clear his dominance of previous years was no longer in effect, as he only won one of the first five events in the final, and finished in fifth in two others. Trailing leader Derek Poundstone with two events to go, Pudzianowski managed to win the Plane Pull despite his injured calf to cut the deficit to just 1 point going into the final event. Matched up against Poundstone in the Atlas Stones in a 'winner-take-all' scenario, Pudzianowski managed to beat his American rival by the narrowest of margins to become the first and still only man to win five World's Strongest Man titles.

He competed in the 2009 World's Strongest Man competition the following year in Malta, trying to win a remarkable sixth title in 8 years. He eventually placed second after Žydrūnas Savickas returned to the competition to win the title for the first time. Following the competition, Pudzianowski said in an interview that he would not continue participating in strongman events, because of his career in Mixed Martial Arts, which required totally different training to strongman.

Personal records During competitions: Deadlift – (2005 Pojedynek Gigantów) Keg drop Deadlift – 295–350 kg (650–771 lb) x 6 lifts in 33.89 seconds (2005 World's Strongest Man) Keg drop Squat – x 7 reps in 21.28 seconds (2007 World's Strongest Man - Group 4) Keg drop Squat – x 7 reps in 27.53 seconds (2005 World's Strongest Man) (former world record) Log lift – (2005 Met-Rx Grand Prix) Log lift (for reps) – x 14 reps (2006 Moscow Grand Prix) Axle press (for reps) – x 11 reps (2006 WSMC Poland) (World Record) Apollon wheel press – x 4 reps (2004 Arnold Strongman Classic) Viking press – x 12 reps (2007 Mohegan Sun Grand Prix) Kettlebell press – x 8 reps (2009 Globe's Strongest Man) Atlas Stones – 5 stones weighing on tall platforms in 21.09 seconds (2006 Strongman Super Series Moscow Grand Prix) (World Record) Ding carry – for 90 metres (2005 World's Strongest Man) (World Record) Asia Stone / shield carry – for 127.4 metres (2002 World's Strongest Man) (World Record) Africa Stone carry – for 110 metres (2000 World's Strongest Man - Group 5) (World Record) Block carry – for 80 metre course in 41.32 seconds (2002 Europe's Strongest Man) (World Record) Fridge carry (super yoke) – 410 kg (904 lb) for 20 metres in 15.29 seconds (2005 World's Strongest Man) Timber carry – (40' ramp) in 22.93 seconds (Raw grip) (2006 Arnold Strongman Classic) Wheelbarrow carry (no straps) – (25m course) in 15.50 seconds (2003 IFSA Finland Grand Prix) (World Record) Farmer's walk (no straps) – per each hand for 60m course in 19.90 seconds (2006 Strongman Super Series Poland Grand Prix) (World Record) Farmer's walk (no straps) – per each hand for 70m course in 22.48 seconds (2003 Strongman Super Series Finland Grand Prix) (World Record) Super Yoke – 360 kg (794 lb) for 20 meters in 7.66 seconds (2006 World Strongman Cup Federation, Poland) (World Record) Medicine Ball Toss – for 4.88 meters (2004 Arnold Strongman Classic) Power Stairs – (225 kg (496 lb) total of 14 steps) – 40.94 seconds (2008 World's Strongest Man) (World Record) Power Stairs – (230 kg (507 lb) total of 23 shallow steps) – 26.33 seconds (2006 World's Strongest Man) (World Record) Power Stairs – (200 kg (441 lb), 230 kg (507 lb) & 250 kg (551 lb) total of 15 high steps) – 31.22 seconds (2004 Europe's Strongest Man) (World Record) Power Stairs – (225 kg (496 lb), 250 kg (551 lb) & 275 kg (606 lb) total of 15 steps) – 28.56 seconds (2005 Nautilus Grand Prix) (World Record) Tyre Flip – Tyre x 8 flips - 20.81 seconds (2004 Holland Champions Trophy) and 400 kg (882 lb) Tyre x 8 flips - 22.87 seconds (2006 Moscow Grand Prix) (former world records) Flip & drag – tyre x 4 flips and anchor & chain drag for 30 meters – 39.01 seconds (2002 World's Strongest Man) (world record) Conan's wheel (Basque circle) – 765° rotation (2006 World Strongman Cup Russia) (World Record) Conan's wheel (Basque circle) – 1,203° rotation (2003 Strongman Super Series Holland Grand Prix) (World Record) Conan's wheel (Basque circle) – 1,440° rotation (2002 World's Strongest Man - Group 5) (former world record) Train pull – for 25 meter course in 30.78 seconds (2003 World's Strongest Man) (World Record) Truck pull – for 20 meter course in 26.05 seconds (2003 IFSA Strongman World Record Breakers) (World Record) Plane pull – for 25 meter course in 36.67 seconds (2008 World's Strongest Man) (World Record)

During training: Deadlift – Squat – Bench press –

Competitive record Placements: 58 x 1st places, 11 x 2nd places and 2 x 3rd places = 71 x podium finishes from 80 total competitions. Winning percentage: 70.5% at International circuit & 78.9% at National circuit Podium percentage: 86.9% at International circuit & 94.7% at National circuit Top 5 percentage: 95.1% at International circuit & 100.0% at National circuit 1st2nd3rd Podium 4th 5th Top 5 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th Total International 43 9 153 3 258 2 161 National 15 2 118 1 19 19 Combined 58 11 271 4 277 2 180

Track record