Eddie Hall and Mitchell Hooper will scrap in an MMA fight.
World’s Strongest Man winners Eddie Hall and Mitchell Hooper are set to do battle in a mixed martial arts contest early next year. The pair announced that they will be fighting on February 17, 2024, at Lusail Stadium in Qatar.
The event titled “The Finisher’s Championship” will be the first foray into combat sports for 2023 World’s Strongest Man Mitchell Hooper. While he may not be versed in combat sports, the strongman does have the kind of will and determination to drive him through a training camp. Hooper has trained with well-known martial artists in the past including fellow Canadian and retired kickboxer “Bazooka” Joe Valtellini. That kind of training will no doubt help Hooper on his mixed martial arts journey.
For Eddie Hall on the other hand, he is no stranger to combat sports. After engaging in battle with another WSM champion, Hafthor Bjornsson, in a highly publicized boxing match, Hall has gained a tremendous amount of experience. He has already fought under the bright lights with the bustling crowd, watching his every move. That kind of experience isn’t easily replicated. Competing in a strongman competition may be one thing, but facing a foe as they throw their bones at you is an entirely different experience altogether. Hall has that experience edge.
View this post on Instagram
Who Has the Edge?
Well, considering that Eddie Hall has already had a boxing match in the past, you would think that he has the edge.
And you would be correct.
Despite that fact, however, Mitchell Hooper does indeed have the age and height advantage over his opponent. At 28 years old and standing 6‘3“ tall, Hooper has some advantages in this match that can’t be denied. But despite those advantages, the edge has to go to Eddie Hall.
Why you might ask because Eddie Hall understands the riggers of going through a taxing combat sports training camp. Training for a fight is much different than training for a strongman competition. A fight camp requires that you not only do lifting and conditioning work, but you must also come up with a game plan and strategy as to how you will defeat your opponent. A strongman competition is more “me versus me” than it is “me versus you”. Because of that fact, Hall has an understanding of what it feels like to directly compete against another man, round by round with the intention of scoring a knockout. That kind of experience is invaluable and certainly gives him an edge over his younger strongman counterpart.
To learn more about the upcoming MMA bout between Eddie Hall and Mitchell Hooper click here.
Who do you think will win in the battle of World’s Strongest Man champions?
For more news and updates, follow Generation Iron on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
News and Editorial Writer at Generation Iron, Jonathan Salmon is a writer, martial arts instructor, and geek culture enthusiast. Check out his YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and Sound Cloud for in-depth MMA analysis.
Featured Image Courtesy of Instagram
