A 600lb sumo wrestler once took on an MMA fighter literally half his size, weighing in at just 169lbs.
Unlike the world of mixed martial arts, we know today, around two decades ago was a very different story.
Japan hosted one of the most bizarre bouts in recent history back in 1998.
The MMA fight was a lopsided contest between the 600lb sumo wrestler Emmanuel Yarbrough and 169lb MMA fighter Daiju Takase.
Yarbrough vs. Takase was featured on the Pride 3 card in Japan and in a somewhat comical fashion, the public watched on in disbelief at the sheer size advantage Yarbrough had over his opponent.
Against perhaps most fans’ first guess, it was indeed the smaller fighter who found himself victorious after dishing out a series of unanswered strikes in the second round.
The fight lasted 17 minutes long, a fact that most likely played into the advantage of the smaller competitor.
As you can see from the video, Yarbrough was not as well versed in the conditioning department as his 169lb counterpart.
Pretty much as soon as the fight started, Takase sought after Yarbrough by landing a barrage of shots from the outside while avoiding punches at crucial points.
After a period of trading standing punches, Yarbrough was able to shoot for a takedown but was not able to hold on to Takase for long when his mount was reversed.
A counter by Takase set him up for a series of strikes put to Yarbrough, of which he was unable to answer, forcing the fight to a halt.
Takase went on to fight in a variety of promotions around the world, including the world’s now largest MMA promotion UFC.
Takase retired in 2015 with a 12-15-2 record.
Yarbrough went on to compete three times in MMA; this included a bout at UFC 3 before sadly and untimely passing away in December 2015 from a heart attack at the age of just 51.
It was reported that Yarbrough weighed around 700lbs at the time of his death.