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Home / Sport

MMA: Meet the 6'8'', 145kg British beast, Martyn Ford, set for MMA bout

NZ Herald
18 Oct, 2018 06:41 PM5 mins to read

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Martyn Ford, (r) is 33, 207cm and 145kg. Photo / Twitter.

Martyn Ford, (r) is 33, 207cm and 145kg. Photo / Twitter.

All the recent UFC madness obscured an enormous MMA signing last weekend — at least in terms of the physical size of the man in question.

Martyn Ford, who stands at 204cm and is known as The Nightmare after his character in the film Undisputed 4, has signed with Polish promotion KSW.

The professional bodybuilder and actor is headed for the heavyweight division and was unveiled to fans at KSW's event at the Wembley Arena in England last Sunday.

"So it's now official KSW it's all signed and I cannot wait," he wrote on Instagram. "What an incredible night, amazing fighters, amazing organisation, extremely excited to get to work now and step into this cage.

"This is going to be no easy challenge, but having the most incredible friends and support network I've no doubt this will be insane."

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To put his size in perspective, this is how he compares to former UFC fighter Anthony Johnson.

View this post on Instagram

What an insane session, you won’t want to miss this incredible session with @anthony_rumble. A session fuelled by passion and enthusiasm @ignite.nutrition #ignite #martynford

A post shared by Martyn Ford (@martynfordofficial) on Sep 16, 2018 at 8:02am PDT

There's been no word yet on when Ford will debut or who he may face, but five-time World's Strongest Man winner Mariusz Pudzianowski could be a possibility — if they can both fit inside the cage at the same time.

Pudzianowski took up MMA after a glittering strongman career and has a 12-6 record. He lost his last fight against Karol Bedorf by submission (kimura) in June this year.

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England's Phil De Fries is KSW's current 120kg champion. He defeated Bedorf in the main event on Sunday as Ford watched on.

View this post on Instagram

Session 1 down, insane session of kickboxing with my main man @darrenhughes2370. And for all those kids out there who constantly tell me I got chicken legs 😂😂😂 thought I would raise the shorts and prove otherwise. We are products of our environment, you want something, go fuking work for it !!!! So many people expect handouts and a free ride. You get out what you put in. With that being said, off to do session number two now, ground and pound bitches lol @rdx_sports @ignite.nutrition @sidmogulmanagement

A post shared by Martyn Ford (@martynfordofficial) on Oct 12, 2018 at 7:18am PDT

Ford actually grew up wanting to play cricket for England before injury ruined his dreams of Ashes glory.

So he turned to bodybuilding and became a 140kg monster who has starred in several action films.

"I was lost when I finished playing cricket," he wrote on Instagram in 2016. "I was convinced I would turn pro and that would be my life set out. With injuries, bad luck and just losing love for the game that never happened. But the void was never filled. I knew deep down I needed to succeed at something, that I had an ability to shine in some way.

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"I have always been so focused and committed with a crazy ambition to win. Fast forward to today, I'm travelling the world with fitness, made two films with three more already lined up. Not to mention three businesses to my name."

Now we'll see if he can fight for real.

View this post on Instagram

It’s not always pretty, it’s not always warm, the days in the trenches are where you learn the most. Isolate yourself, be your own inspiration and use all the negativity as a positive to push through. In a world full of hate and envy it’s only a few good ones that really understand what it takes to step above and beyond. Trust your vision and follow your heart. Then sit back and smile when you reach your goals @ignite.nutrition @rdx_sports #martynford #ignitenutrition

A post shared by Martyn Ford (@martynfordofficial) on Oct 17, 2018 at 2:06am PDT

View this post on Instagram

To find out the ULTIMATE muscle building plan for FREE subscribe now to www.ignitenutrition.com where it will be uploaded along with many lore amazing articles from the best the industry has to offer. @ignite.nutrition #ignite LINK IN BIO. #martynford @snhfoto photographer

A post shared by Martyn Ford (@martynfordofficial) on Oct 9, 2018 at 12:52am PDT

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