It's a surprise that Butterbean returned to the cage after his MMA debut disaster.
The boxing icon – real name Eric Esch – switched to MMA after nine years and 73 professional bouts. Once there, he enjoyed some success when he scored a spectacular KO victory over a 6-foot-4 heavyweight known as 'The Colossus', submitting Zuluzinho at PRIDE 34.
However, Butterbean also suffered some humiliating losses. The 6-foot-4, 400-pound heavyweight tapped out in a clash with five-time World's Strongest Man Mariusz Pudzianowski before ending his MMA run with a vicious KO loss to a taekwondo instructor.
The tough heavyweight's MMA journey started with a 'David vs Goliath' fight against Genki Sudo at K-1 PREMIUM 2003 DYNAMITE!!! December 2003.
Photo by Daniel Berehulak/Getty Images
Butterbean learns about BJJ in MMA debut
Butterbean tipped the scales at 400 pounds for his MMA debut, while his opponent weighed in at 155 pounds.
Despite having a 245-pound lead in the fight, the knockout artist suffered a defeat to Sudo.
The 8-3-1 MMA star, who has a black belt in Brazilian Jui Jitsu, did everything he could to avoid getting close to Butterbean in the first round of their fight.
Sudo spent most of the five minutes dancing around the ring and doing leg kicks.
As the opening round came to a close, Sudo shot for a takedown. Butterbean crashed to the mat where he ate ground and pound before his opponent transitioned to a heel hook attempt.
Fortunately for the American, he was saved by the bell. Still, it was clear that Butterbean's MMA debut was only going one way as he couldn't get close to Sudo and looked like a fish out of water when the fight hit the ground.
Sudo attempted a dropkick in round two. The lightweight fighter was caught in mid-air and smashed to the ground. However, Butterbean got too close and it wasn't long before he found himself in another submission.
On this occasion, there was still plenty of time left on the clock and he had to use the heel kick that got his MMA career off to the worst possible start.
Butterbean wants a comeback fight
In 2013, Butterbean retired from all forms of fighting after competing in 126 matches across three sports.
During his time on the sidelines, Butterbean's weight problem became a potentially fatal one as he ballooned to 515 pounds.
Luckily, the 58-year-old recently underwent a dramatic body transformation that saw him lose more than 200 pounds to get back down to 300 pounds, which is what he weighed during his peak years in boxing.
He hopes to be back in the ring for one final fight in 2025. In the past, a Butterbean comeback would have been nearly impossible, but after seeing Mike Tyson, who is his age, and Jake Paul draw 60 million people to Netflix for their clash, it seems like anything is possible.
“It changed my life, it really did,” Butterbean said of his body transformation.
“To be honest, I thought I had a few years left to live. I'm not a bull*******.
“I really forgot who I was, and I pretty much gave up on life.
“Now I believe in myself again. Butterbean is back for another battle.”
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