Since a proposed fight with 'The Iranian Hulk' was scrapped, Martyn Ford has packed on a serious amount of weight.

The ‘World’s Scariest Man’ was supposed to face off against his foe – real name Sajad Gharibi – at the O2 Arena in London in April on a card that was also set to feature Patrice Evra and Jamie O’Hara, along with podcast host James English.

The fight, however, fell through, with a clash between the pair – Ford pushed Gharibi to the floor – appearing to show it may not be a fair fight.

After this incident, footage emerged of the Iranian Hulk breaking down while appearing on a TV show before revealing he had been disowned by his parents and that he was suicidal. Ford then called the event organisers and told them that he would no longer be going ahead with the fight, as he didn’t want to be responsible for Gharibi taking his own life.

So instead, The Iranian Hulk moved on to a different opponent and Ford is still looking for the right opportunity to make his boxing debut, but is also interested in taking an MMA bout after signing with Polish promotion KSW a few years ago.

However, his combat sports training has been on hold recently as he has been shooting a movie in Bulgaria and living in a hotel. Despite that, he’s managed to pack on 25lbs since revealing he had slimmed down to 315lbs back in March in order to be more agile in his boxing debut.

“54 KG / 340lb. It’s incredible what a happy mind can do, the last few months, my food has been off (difficultly living in a hotel room) training has been consistent BUT it’s been in a commercial gym with no training partner,” Ford wrote alongside a picture of himself looking bigger and more fearsome than ever.

UFC legend Michael Bisping has been working on the movie with Ford and they even linked up for a couple of training sessions. However, he has mainly trained alone during his time in Sofia and the results are phenomenal.

The World's Scariest Man's body evolution from 17 to now

This recent increase in muscle mass is nothing compared to Ford’s transformation from a teenager of average build to a man-mountain now known as the 'World's Scariest Man.'

Ford was an aspiring cricketer, and, when injuries halted his progress, he turned his attention elsewhere. A phenomenal amount of dedication saw him become a top bodybuilder and movie star. Ford also aims to make a mark in combat sports, notably MMA and boxing.

Video: Martyn Ford's body transformation

On Instagram, Ford has a following of a staggering 3.7 million people, which has seen him labelled as an influencer.

In an interview in 2018, regarding his transition to MMA, he said: “I have just always been very competitive, and I like challenging myself. I am just a bit stupid really, aren’t I?”

Such self-effacing comments do a disservice to the hours of dedication Ford has put in.

Now 40, Ford regularly participates in several bodybuilding competitions, unsurprisingly winning many of them, and judging by his current state, it doesn’t look like the man nicknamed as “The Nightmare” will be slowing down anytime soon.

Ford has been in the news this week when former UFC champion Bisping, speaking on episode 431 of the ‘Believe You Me’ podcast, revealed what it was like to be punched by the Midlands native.

Bisping took a shot to the jaw when the pair were filming a fight scene for an upcoming movie, and he's since said: “He’s a gigantic human being and he punched me in the jaw right. And I still, and this is like six-seven weeks, about six weeks ago now, I still can’t bite properly, it’s that jaws all still swollen at the back.”

When Ford does get the opportunity to enter the ring or the Octagon, he will prove to be a formidable opponent, and, given the success he has had with his ventures so far, it would be foolish to write him off.

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