If you’re a fan of Japanese MMA, you most likely enjoy watching a freak show fight from time to time. In the video below, we have a list of the top 10 freakiest fights in MMA history!
If you’ve only seen North American-based mixed martial art events, you’ve been missing out. Japan is a land of no commission or sanctioning body, allowing promoters to put on any fight they so choose regardless of weight classes or skill levels, which has allowed for some of the most intriguing size versus skill match ups you could ever hope to witness.
10) Eric Butterbean Esch vs. Zuluzinho
-Pride 34, April 8, 2007
The majority of the fights you’ll notice on the list include a big size difference, this being the only one where the competitors are roughly the same size. Butterbean proved to be the superior fighter of the two massive men by actually winning with a submission.
9) Keith Hackney vs. Emmanuel Yarborough
-UFC 3, September 9, 1994
This could easily be the most recognizable fight on the list with it being a staple of one of the first UFC events. Surely there was no way Hackney would be able to come over the size disadvantage he faced, or so people thought. Hackney was able to use an overhand right strike that knocked Yarborough off balance onto the mat and eventually led to the end of the fight as Yarborough was too big to get back to his feet.
8) Fedor Emelianenko vs. Zuluzinho
-Pride FC: Shockwave 2005, December 31, 2005
Zuluzinho came into this fight undefeated and with an almost hundred pound weight advantage, but Emelianenko was the current Pride Heavyweight Champion coming off a title defense against Mirko Filipovic in his prime. Zuluzinho proved to be no match for The Last Emperor as the contest lasted no longer than 26 seconds.
7) Bob Sapp vs. Ikuhisa Minowa
-Dream 9, May 26, 2009
Every fight Bob Sapp has ever been could easily be considered a freak show. This one being one of the finest examples as Sapp takes on Minowa who is half his size. Almost immediately as the fight begins Minowa finds himself underneath the much larger Sapp, yet Minowa still manages to reverse the position to get on top where he is able to find a submission and win the fight.
6) Jose Canseco vs. Hong Man Choi
-Dream 9, May 26, 2009
After finishing his professional baseball career, Jose Canseco thought he would try his hand in MMA. For whatever reason, he made his debut as a pro against 7’2 and 350 lb Hong Man Choi. For as long as the fight lasted Canseco attempted to circle and out strike the giant, but eventually ended up falling to the mat where Hong Man Choi was able to quickly finish the fight by TKO.
5) Giant Silva vs. Ikuhisa Minowa
-Pride: Bushido 10, April 2, 2006
In Minowa’s first major freak show fight, he took on Giant Silva, an actual giant. Although it wasn’t an easy task, Minowa was able to find a path to victory by using his far more technical submission game. After this win, in the following years Minowa went on to fight Bob Sapp and Zuluzinho in two equally freakish fights that you can also catch on this list.
4) Royce Gracie vs. Akebono
-K-1 Premium 2004 Dynamite, December 31, 2004
To beat a man twice your size is impressive already, but doing it by landing a submission off your back is even more so and that is exactly what Royce Gracie did. This fight being just another beautiful example of how effective Gracie Jiu-Jitsu can be against a larger opponent.
3) Fedor The Last Emperor Emelianenko vs. Hong Man Choi
-Yarennoka, December 31st, 2007
Fedor Emelianenko is considered by many to be the greatest heavyweight the sport has ever seen, but Hong Man Choi made Emelianenko look like a lightweight when the two met to touch gloves in the center of the ring.
Fedor’s opponent was over a foot taller and a hundred pounds heavier, but it wasn’t enough to stop The Last Emperor from snatching Choi’s arm up in a submission hold from off his back with ease within the first couple minutes of the fight.
2) Ikuhisa Minowa vs. Zuluzinho
-K-1 Premium 2007 Dynamite, December 31st, 2007
Ikuhisa Minowa had began making a career off of beating bigger opponents, having already fought and defeated both Giant Silva and Eric Butterbean Esch. Ikuhisa came into this fight with the strategy of circling the ring until Zuluzinho would run out of energy or give him an opening.
The fight went on like this for awhile, until Zuluzinho managed to corner and take the Japanese fighter to the mat. Once on top Zuluzinho was able to use his weight to hold the position while throwing punches which ultimately brought an end to the fight by TKO.
1) Genki Sudo vs Eric Butterbean Esch
-K-1 Premium 2003 Dynamite, December 31st, 2003
Genki Sudo is one of the most important figures in Japanese MMA history and an under-appreciated legend of the sport who holds wins over UFC-staple Nate Marquardt, kickboxing great Ramon Dekkers and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu icon Royler Gracie.
Butterbean was currently 66-3-4 as a professional boxer at the time as he made his debut in MMA. What Butterbean lacked in MMA experience he made up for in size, being nearly double the weight of his opponent. In the middle of the fight Genki ran back to bounce off the ropes using the momentum to run towards Butterbean throwing a dropkick that brought the fight to the mat.
Once on the ground Sudo was able to use his superior grappling knowledge to submit Butterbean with a heelhook within moments.
Check out this list on video!
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