Watch: World’s Strongest Man Takes on the World’s Best Grappler

Here’s what happens when multiple-time world’s strongest man, Hafþór ‘Thor’ Júlíus Björnsson, takes on seven-time ADCC and three-time IBJJF champion Gordon Ryan.

6’9″ Thor, known for his feats of strength and starring as The Mountain in Game of Thrones, had a controlled sparring session with 157-9-3 submission grappler Ryan back in December 2022.

“Literally went against the best and got humbled quite badly,” Thor admitted.

Snippets of the session showed Thor trying to hold Ryan flat on his back. Ryan reversed the Icelandic giant several times, even hitting a sit-down on his 430 lbs adversary.

In a video from 2021, former interim UFC lightweight champion Dustin Poirier trains MMA with strongman Brian Shaw, one of the most decorated strongmen in history. The training didn’t go as well for Poirier as it did for Ryan, as Shaw found his way to his feet and later submitted Poirier with bodyweight in another demonstration.

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