Mike Chiappetta:Bob Sapp vs. Mariusz Pudzianowski Signed for KSW 19 Main Event

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By Mike Chiappetta - Senior Writer

Apr 2, 2012 - Apparently, Bob Sapp has recovered from the mysterious leg injury that led to his most recent loss less than one month ago, because "the Beast" is ready to get back in the cage, and the matchup is one that should delight fans of the old "freakshow" style of matchmaking.
Sapp, who has lost five in a row and eight of his last nine, is now set to fly to Poland to take on that country's favorite son, former World's Strongest Man Mariusz Pudzianowski.
The KSW promotion confirmed the matchup which will take place as the main event of KSW 19 on May 12 at Atlas Stadium in Lodz.

Interestingly, Sapp also apparently has a May 18 fight scheduled in Australia against Soa Palelei in the CFC. Even before that, he's supposed to fight in a kickboxing match with Rok Strucl in Slovenia on April 22. That's quite a schedule for someone so recently snake-bitten by injuries.
Sapp hasn't won in MMA since a March 2010 win over Sascha Weinpolter, dropping losses to notables Rolles Gracie and James Thompson, among others. The loss to Thompson continued a string of relatively lifeless performances from him, as he lost in just 1:52, tapping out after a takedown. Sapp later clutched his left leg, apparently injured, but the fight with Pudzianowski will come just two months after that. Of his five straight defeats, none has lasted more than 3:04, and he hasn't seen the second round of any fight in nearly a decade.
After starting his career with wins in 10 of his first 13 bouts, the 38-year-old super heavyweight is now 11-11.
Like Sapp, Pudzianowski's most recent action came against Thompson. He actually faced the Brit twice last year, losing the first match by submission. The second encounter was originally announced as a Pudzianowski decision victory, but it was later changed to a no contest due to a scoring error. Pudzianowski is 3-2 with 1 no contest overall.