A List of Notable MMA Fighters Who Fought at Super-Heavyweight

The super-heavyweight division in MMA (above 265-pounds) no longer exists in the top professional MMA companies. However, there was a brief spell where even the elite organisation that is the UFC allowed fighters to compete at super-heavyweight. But, this was before the Unified Rules of MMA came into play, which cracked down on the professionalism of the sport as well as fighter safety.

In some of the earlier UFC tournaments in the early to late 90s, the Ultimate Fighting Championship hosted several fighters who were deemed super-heavyweights. Some of them even weighed up to 600-pounds believe it or not. 

Of course, back in the 90s, the format of the UFC was far different to what it is known as now. Instead of having weight divisions, rankings and a champion, the earlier days of the UFC was simply just a knockout tournament type of format, where anybody at any size could come up against anybody at any size. Because back then, the UFC was established to find out which fighting style was the best. 

In the early 2000s, the UFC did sanction fights above 265-pounds, although there were no rankings involved for these types of bouts.

Most Known MMA Fighters That Have Competed at Super-Heavyweight 

Here is a list of some of the most notable names from the MMA world that have featured in super-heavyweight bouts.

Eric “Butterbean” Esch

 Eric Butterbean Esch and James The Colossus Thompson//Getty Images 

Eric Esch, otherwise known as “Butterbean”, had a long career in combat sports. Initially, Esch started out in boxing, debuting in 1994, but a year later he also made his MMA debut. Additionally, he competed in the elite kickboxing tournament K-1, where he got to the final of the Grand Prix in 2003 only to lose via head kick.

In MMA, Butterbean won his only title in the Elite-1 super-heavyweight division, defeating Dean Storey in 2011. Five months later, he would have his final fight in mixed martial arts which unfortunately came as a first round TKO loss. His final MMA record reads 17-10-1. Throughout his fighting career, he would weigh a little over 300-pounds.

Emmanuel Yarborough

Emmanuel Yarborough is one of the largest MMA fighters in the history of competition, weighing over 600-pounds. Making his debut in 1994, and then retiring in 1998, Yarborough had a record of 1-2 in professional MMA with his only victory coming via submission due to smothering his opponent. 

Semmy Schilt 

Semmy Schilt competed as both a heavyweight and super-heavyweight in MMA, and he was an excellent striker. Schilt won the Pancrase Openweight championship in 1999 and defended the title twice. 

In 2001, he made his UFC debut where he defeated Pete Williams via a body kick. But, in his next and final fight in the promotion, he lost to Josh Barnett via armbar in the first round. Although going 26-14 in his MMA career, he most certainly had a better kickboxing career, winning five K-1 Grand Prix's in a row, and a K-1 championship at super-heavyweight.

Bob Sapp

Weighing around 330-pounds, Bob Sapp became a global superstar in combat sports during his time in K-1 and Pride FC. Despite his popularity, Sapp went from being 10-4 in kickboxing to losing 15 of his last 17 bouts before retiring from the sport in 2018. 

His record in MMA wasn't good either. “The Beast” started his career 9-2, he lost 18 of his last 21 bouts, although he did come out victorious in his final fight in 2018.