Mariusz Pudzianowski, already a legend in strongman competition with a record five titles as world's strongest man, will make his US MMA debut on May 21 when he faces former UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia at Moosin: God of Martial Arts in Worcester, Massachusetts.

Pudzianowski (1-0) is still an MMA novice, although he has a long personal history of interest in the martial arts and has trained in boxing and Kyokushin karate for years. Since he decided to begin his professional MMA career last year, "Pudzian" has been pushing himself with the same sort of intense training regimen that he has followed to strongman success, including regular practice sessions with the Polish national wrestling team as well as building his boxing and jiu-jitsu skills.

Weighing in at 277 pounds for his first pro fight at KSW 12 last year, the huge Pole needed just 43 seconds to maul his opponent, Marcin Najman, into submission.

Before meeting Sylvia however, Pudzianowski is scheduled to fight Japan's Yusuke Kawaguchi on May 7 at KSW in Katowice, Poland in what promises to be a very busy month. Kawaguchi brings an 11-1 record to the fight, and will be a big step up in competition for Pudzianowski en route to his showdown with Sylvia just two weeks later.

It may seem like a lot to take on, but it is the sort of superhuman pace that has become the norm for Pudzianowski from his days spent competing in the strongman circuit. Besides, as far as Pudzianowski's concerned, Sylvia is the one who should be worried.

"Tim Sylvia is already past his prime, so the only thing he thinks about is the paycheck after the fight," Pudzianowski told Mixfight.ru in an interview translated by Lowkick.com. "When I'll take him down and start landing my bombs, he will lose every desire to get up. His handshake at the press conference made me realize that he has a very soft body. I like big and soft people, they are fun to hit. I have to be careful from his striking in the early minutes of the fight, but I am still very confident that it will be a great victory."

Soft body or not, Sylvia (25-6) brings a lot of experience to the fight, including a run in the UFC that saw him claim the heavyweight title on two separate occasions. Still, in recent years Sylvia's star has dimmed, and he had lost three straight fights before getting a much-needed win over Jason Riley at Adrenaline MMA 4 last September.

"Pudzian" believes Sylvia is the perfect opponent to showcase his ability to fans in the US, and he hopes this fight will be the start of bigger things to come.

"I love the idea of starting my United States experience from Tim Sylvia," said Pudzianowski. "He is a serious opponent and I prepare to prove everyone that I am the real deal in Mixed Martial Arts. In two years from now, I would love to fight Fedor Emelianenko. He will rip my head off if we fight today, but in two years it could be a different story. It will be very interesting to see the bookmaker's odds for that fight."

Moosin: God of Martial Arts will also feature bouts including Travis Lutter vs. Rafael Natal, Mu Bae Choi vs. Travis Wiuff, and Yves Edwards vs. Mike Campbell.