Before UFC had weight classes and major athletic commissions overlooking health and safety, MMA was a much different sport to what we know now.
Openweight bouts were the norm as the Ultimate Fighting Championship looked to prove which discipline would reign supreme in a no holds barred contest. Legends like Royce Gracie were the emergent stars of the first generation, in which there were a number of freak show fights.
One man with a unique spot in UFC history is Emmanuel Yarbrough. The American sumo wrestler, nicknamed ‘Manny’ and ‘Tiny’ at different points, tipped the scales well over 600lb but still managed to compete three times in professional MMA, compiling a 1-2 record.
Emmanuel Yarbrough won his only MMA fight by ‘smothering’ opponent
After making his MMA debut at UFC 3 against Keith Hackney in 1994, it took sumo star Emmanuel Yarbrough four years to try getting back in a no holds barred fight. He was stopped within two minutes by Hackney, despite outweighing him by almost 400lb.
As with many Americans of a considerably larger stature, such as Bob Sapp and later Brock Lesnar, Yarbrough became a fascination in Japan. Shoot Boxing signed him up for their first event in Yokohama, booking him in with Tatsuaki Nakano for an openweight bout.
Yarbrough bundled across the ring before sort of sprawling and using his size to get the Japanese fighter to the ground. From there, he almost pushed his rival out of the ring before the referee re-set them back within the ropes.
The American was put back in top position and simply lay on top of his opponent, stopping him from breathing until the fight was called after just over a minute of action. The official time of the stoppage was 1:17.
Emmanuel Yarbrough had difficult life in and out of the cage
Yarbrough was a record breaker for his athletic endeavours, earning a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records for the world’s heaviest living athlete. It is reported that by the age of just 14 he already weighed over 320lb, which played a big part in his early footballing success.
However, his battles with food addiction ultimately saw him balloon to over 600lb making movement very difficult as he got older. He competed in sumo and professional wrestling around the world, and was spotted with major celebrities such as Matthew Perry and even Miley Cyrus.
In 2007 he managed to lose 130lb after dealing with a therapist for obesity. However, heart problems ended up costing him his life and he passed away at the age of 55 in December of 2015 after suffering a heart attack.
