| Emmanuel Yarborough | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | (1960-09-05)September 5, 1960 Rahway, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Died | December 21, 2015(2015-12-21) (aged 55) Richmond, Virginia, U.S. |
| Other names | Manny |
| Nationality | American |
| Height | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) |
| Weight | 600 lb (272 kg; 42 st 12 lb) |
| Division | Super Heavyweight |
| Style | Sumo |
| Rank | Brown Belt injudo |
| Wrestling | NCAA Division IWrestling |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 3 |
| Wins | 1 |
| By submission | 1 |
| Losses | 2 |
| By knockout | 1 |
| By submission | 1 |
| Other information | |
| Mixed martial arts record fromSherdog | |
Emmanuel Yarborough (September 5, 1960 – December 21, 2015) was an Americanmartial artist,professional wrestler,football player andactor. He was particularly known for his career inamateur sumo, and held theGuinness World Record for the heaviest living athlete.[1]
Yarbrough started his sports career atMorgan State University, where he became an offensive tackle for thecollege football team before joining thecollege wrestling team. He was given the ironic nickname "Tiny" due to his large size.[2] He achievedNCAA All-AmericanDivision II wrestler status in 1983 and 1985, the university later ascending toDivision I in 1986, while in football he was a Division I athlete in 1982 and 1983. After college, Yarbrough trained injudo underYoshisada Yonezuka, who coached him to a silver medal victory at the US Nationals tournament at brown belt level. This experience would lead him to take a further interest in martial arts, exploringamateur sumo andmixed martial arts.[3]
Yarbrough started competing in amateur sumo in 1992. He won silver medals in the Sumo World Championships in 1992 and 1994, as well as a bronze medal in 1993. Two years later, after his appearance inUltimate Fighting Championship, Yarbrough increased his previous weight by 282 lbs. Eventually, Yarbrough reached 704 lbs, which gave him the Guinness World Record for the heaviest living athlete.[1] He quickly became the WorldAmateur Sumo Champion, leading him to be one of the most famous sumo wrestlers outside Japan.[3]
In 2007, he intended to drop from 750 to 550 lbs in order to improve his health, still hoping to participate in the next Sumo World Championships and the US Olympic judo tryouts.[2]
In 1994, Yarbrough applied tomixed martial arts promotionUltimate Fighting Championship and took part in the eventUFC 3 representing sumo. He was pitted against the much smallerKeith Hackney, akempo representative, who opened the match by immediately knocking Yarborough down with a palm strike. Emmanuel recovered, pulled Hackney towards his chest and unloaded strikes on his neck, and then literally pushed him out the cage through the door in spectacular fashion. However, when the match was restarted, Hackney knocked Yarbrough again and followed with hand strikes for the TKO.[4] Keith since took the nickname "The Giant Killer" for this victory.
Emmanuel's second MMA fight would be in Japan for the promotionShooto. He faced Tatsuo Nakano, a formershoot-styleprofessional wrestler whom Yarbrough outsized greatly. This time, the sumo wrestler got advantage of fighting in a ring and cornered Nakano against the turnbuckle, taking dominant position over him. When the contenders were relocated on the center of the ring, Yarbrough just shifted his abdomen over Nakano's head. Unable to get out from under his opponent and being smothered by the weight, the Japanese fighter tapped out, giving Yarbrough his first and only victory.
Only months later, Emmanuel fought his third and last bout, for the Japanese promotionPride Fighting Championships, facing his smallest opponent in the form of Japanese grapplerDaiju Takase. Takase avoided engaging Yarbrough and earned a yellow card for inactivity in the second round. Eventually, Takase attempted a takedown, which Yarbrough was able to deny and gain dominant position; however, Takase managed to escape and landed numerous punches to Yarbrough’s head and body, forcing him to submit.[5]
From 1996 to 1997, Yarbrough competed inprofessional wrestling forCatch Wrestling Association in Germany, where he had gimmick matches based around his sumo career. He took part in a sumo tournament against the entire staff of the promotion, being declared winner after beating everybody exceptAugust Smisl andTerminator Mastino. He later won another tournament, beating the likes ofOsamu Nishimura andJason Neidhart,Jim Neidhart's storyline cousin.
He appeared in a 1997Bollywood filmMr. and Mrs. Khiladi which featuresBollywood action heroAkshay Kumar and has appeared on several talk shows, as well as in a commercial forMotorola. He has also appeared on theHBO dramaOz as an inmate named Clarence Seroy. In 2000, he played himself in the German wrestling filmSumo Bruno.
Yarbrough battled all his life with food addiction. According to his manager, "he always said, 'I am a prisoner in my own body.'"[6] By the age of 14 he already weighed 320 pounds, which he attributed to a poor diet of fried foods.[7]
In 2007, Yarbrough was hospitalized for a week due to heart failure. He saw an obesity specialist and changed his diet, losing 130 pounds.[7]
On December 21, 2015, Yarbrough died at age 55 of a heart attack.[6]
| 3 matches | 1 win | 2 losses |
| By knockout | 0 | 2 |
| By submission | 1 | 0 |
| By decision | 0 | 0 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 1–2 | Daiju Takase | TKO (submission to punches) | Pride 3 | June 24, 1998 | 2 | 3:22 | Tokyo, Japan | |
| Win | 1–1 | Tatsuo Nakano | Submission (smother) | Shooto - Shoot the Shooto XX | April 26, 1998 | 1 | 1:17 | Yokohama, Japan | |
| Loss | 0–1 | Keith Hackney | TKO (punches) | UFC 3 | September 9, 1994 | 1 | 1:59 | Charlotte, North Carolina, United States |
