Hafthor Bjornsson is getting nice and seasoned for his future grudge match with fellow behemoth Eddie Hall.
The former World’s Strongest Man and Game of Thrones star is all set for a battle with Alex Simon, a powerlifter and Australia’s Strongest Man winner who has recently transitioned into MMA.
Simon is 1-1-0 in MMA. His first fight was at Australian Fighting Championship 22 on July 4, 2018, where he finished Lio Ilalio in a scary 11 seconds.
Despite the ferocity of his strikes, Simon came undone in his second fight the next year against Jack Tuave. Tuave managed to KO the big man towards the end of the first round.
Bjornsson will have to mind Simon exploding out of the gate if he wants any chance of taking the Aussie down.
The fight, which will be Bjornsson's second this year, is all set to take place in May. The mammoth Simon will be, however, his first crack at fighting someone of a similar size and athletic caliber to Eddie Hall.
The Mountain did get in the ring at the start of the year against Steven Ward in Dubai.
Bjornsson looked good for a man of his size, keeping up with the lighter, quicker Ward for all three rounds of their exhibition throwdown. The fight was declared a draw, proving the big man can hold his own in the ring. He will of course be looking for a victory moving forward.
Thor vs Hall
With a rivalry spanning several years, Hall and Bjornsson eventually agreed to settle their differences in the ring. The fight is expected to take place in September this year in Las Vegas, where it will be aptly dubbed ‘The Heaviest Boxing Match In History’.
The beef between the two kicked into high gear when Bjornsson accused The Beast of cheating during the Viking Press at the 2017 World’s Strongest Man. Hall ultimately won the tournament that year, but never forgot the Icelandic deadlift king’s comments.
Both men have shed a considerable amount of their strongman bulk in preparation for what should be a hard-hitting, but not exactly fast-footed, affair.
By then, Bjornsson will be the considerably more experienced pugilist with two fights to his name.