Emanuel Yarbrough fought in UFC 3, long before regulation. He was at the time the largest professional athlete on Earth, at 6′ 8″ and weighing in at 616 pounds, more than 350 over the UFC’s present heavyweight limit. This was far from his peak of 882 pounds.
Yarbrough was the 1995 World Amateur Sumo Champion, went 1-2 in MMA in the 90s, and was a three-time All American wrestler (1983, 1985 and 1986). He was also a sometime actor, with appearances on the popular he HBO drama Oz.
He passed away on Dec 21, 2015. He was just 51 years.
Thomas Gerbasi has the story for UFC.com.
“Meet the proverbial immovable object,” said the voiceover on the pre-fight feature before Yarbrough’s lone Octagon bout against Keith Hackney at UFC 3 in September of 1994.
Once his fighting career was over, Yarbrough went on to become an ambassador for sumo wrestling in the United States while also having success as an actor, playing roles alongside the likes of Diane Keaton and Mickey Rourke.
“Emanuel’s passion was to travel,” Yarbrough’s longtime manager, Beatrice H. Davis, wrote in a statement. “Even though it was not an easy task for him, it never stopped him from following his dreams, and bringing smiles to the faces of all he would meet. He was to be the subject of a new reality show, and would have continued to bring smiles to all those who had the opportunity to be blessed by his infectious, compassionate, loving presence. He will be missed by his millions of fans around the world, friends and family.”
Struggling throughout his life with obesity, Yarbrough often claimed “I am a prisoner in my body,” but it didn’t stop him from trying to lead others in a different direction.
“Emanuel constantly demonstrated the need to help the obese, particularly children,” Davis wrote. “And he traveled the world and to bring awareness to obesity.”
A GoFundMe page was set up to aid Yarbrough’s mother with funeral expenses. At this time, $6,000 of the needed $18,000 has been raised, so any contributions are very appreciated.
A Gofundme page was launched to aid Yarbrough’s mother with funeral expenses. At this point $6,000 has been raised of the $18,000 needed, so your contribution would be enormously appreciated.
