When stepping into the Octagon, size can be a key advantage to emerging victorious when it’s all said and done and the horn blows for the final time. Throughout the years we have had the opportunity to see some of the most gifted athletes and amazing physical specimens take center Octagon, but only a handful have
When stepping into the Octagon, size can be a key advantage to emerging victorious when it’s all said and done and the horn blows for the final time.
Throughout the years we have had the opportunity to see some of the most gifted athletes and amazing physical specimens take center Octagon, but only a handful have truly left us in awe with their various ridiculous sizes.
From big belly’d brawlers, to sky scraping smashers, all the way to the massive behemoths we’ve seen throw down inside of an MMA cage, we’ve compiled a list of some of the biggest men to ever put on a pair of 4 oz. gloves and throw down.
So without further ado, let’s take a look at the top ten largest fighters in MMA history…..
McCorkle has confirmed with MMAFighting that he’ll be fighting Pudzianowski in a rematch at KSW 24, which is slated for September 28th in Warsaw, Poland. Of course, KSW and Pudzianowski have a reputation for this sort of thing. When the Pudz was submitted by James Thompson at KSW 16 back in May 2011, the promotion set up an immediate rematch at its next event, where Pudzianowski got the nod from the judges despite clearly getting his ass beat. That fight was later overturned to a no-contest due to “judge’s error” (yeah, no shit), but the fact remains — if you beat Poland’s most beloved MMA star on his own turf, they will keep re-booking you until you lose, one way or another.
So how will Pudzianowski get his revenge on Big Sexy? Our prediction: food poisoning.
McCorkle has confirmed with MMAFighting that he’ll be fighting Pudzianowski in a rematch at KSW 24, which is slated for September 28th in Warsaw, Poland. Of course, KSW and Pudzianowski have a reputation for this sort of thing. When the Pudz was submitted by James Thompson at KSW 16 back in May 2011, the promotion set up an immediate rematch at its next event, where Pudzianowski got the nod from the judges despite clearly getting his ass beat. That fight was later overturned to a no-contest due to “judge’s error” (yeah, no shit), but the fact remains — if you beat Poland’s most beloved MMA star on his own turf, they will keep re-booking you until you lose, one way or another.
So how will Pudzianowski get his revenge on Big Sexy? Our prediction: food poisoning.
(Looks like he is training hard for…oh god that was awful. I’ll show myself out now. -SF)
Alright, so we’re being dicks in calling these fights “freakshows,” yes. Only one of them included a former World’s Strongest Man champion swinging his ham hocks around wildly, after all – the other had a legit top Polish prospect against a very good kick boxer – and both of them included guys with the guts to glove up and man-up.
Still, there’s something wonderfully faux-epic/Euro-trashy about KSW shows and Maruiusz Pudzianowski both so we’re going with “freak show.” Not that you shouldn’t watch the videos after the jump – you totally should.
UFC veteran and certified internet troll nut bag Sean McCorkle appears to wilt under Pudzi’s initial strong-man onslaught before getting on top and finishing with a Kimura shoulder lock.
For a few moments in the bout between Mamed Khalidov and Melvin Manoef, the two tried kicking the crap out of each other. Then, Mamed thought better of exchanging with the K-1 veteran and promptly guillotine choked Melly-Mel.
Check out both vids after the jump. Don’t pretend you have something better to do.
(Looks like he is training hard for…oh god that was awful. I’ll show myself out now. -SF)
Alright, so we’re being dicks in calling these fights “freakshows,” yes. Only one of them included a former World’s Strongest Man champion swinging his ham hocks around wildly, after all – the other had a legit top Polish prospect against a very good kick boxer – and both of them included guys with the guts to glove up and man-up.
Still, there’s something wonderfully faux-epic/Euro-trashy about KSW shows and Maruiusz Pudzianowski both so we’re going with “freak show.” Not that you shouldn’t watch the videos after the jump – you totally should.
UFC veteran and certified internet troll nut bag Sean McCorkle appears to wilt under Pudzi’s initial strong-man onslaught before getting on top and finishing with a Kimura shoulder lock.
For a few moments in the bout between Mamed Khalidov and Melvin Manoef, the two tried kicking the crap out of each other. Then, Mamed thought better of exchanging with the K-1 veteran and promptly guillotine choked Melly-Mel.
Check out both vids after the jump. Don’t pretend you have something better to do.
(McCorkle’s most recent performance: A first round submission via kimura loss to Satoshi Ishii at IGF – Genome 24 via Youtube user Sohc Honda.)
Ladies and gentlemen of the Potato Nation, the creme de la creme of freak show MMA fights has just been booked. No, we’re not talking about Canseco vs. O’Neal or Zimmer vs. Martinez II (the latter of which is as elusive as the great white buffalo). We’re talking about McCorkle vs. Pudzianowski, the SHW showdown years in the making that has finally become a reality. Now, you might be asking yourself, “Danga, how is this the aforementioned pinnacle of freak show fights, you good for nothing piece of hyperbolic human garbage?” Well first ask yourself the three prerequisite questions necessary to determine any great freak show fight, you cold-hearted son of a bitch.
2. Will at least one of the participants show up to the fight weighing no less than 300 pounds? You bet your fat ass!
3. How about the organization; is it shady bordering on incompetent? Brother, don’t even get me started.
(McCorkle’s most recent performance: A first round submission via kimura loss to Satoshi Ishii at IGF – Genome 24 via Youtube user Sohc Honda.)
Ladies and gentlemen of the Potato Nation, the creme de la creme of freak show MMA fights has just been booked. No, we’re not talking about Canseco vs. O’Neal or Zimmer vs. Martinez II (the latter of which is as elusive as the great white buffalo). We’re talking about McCorkle vs. Pudzianowski, the SHW showdown years in the making that has finally become a reality. Now, you might be asking yourself, “Danga, how is this the aforementioned pinnacle of freak show fights, you good for nothing piece of hyperbolic human garbage?” Well first ask yourself the three prerequisite questions necessary to determine any great freak show fight, you cold-hearted son of a bitch.
2. Will at least one of the participants show up to the fight weighing no less than 300 pounds? You bet your fat ass!
3. How about the organization; is it shady bordering on incompetent? Brother, don’t even get me started.
While a quick gander over Pudzianowski’s MMA record would give the average MMA fan freak show withdrawal (looking at you, Christos Piliafas), a fight with McCorkle would represent a significant step up in competition for the former “World’s Strongest Man,” quite honestly. McCorkle may find himself on a three fight skid, including a first round submission loss to Satoshi Ishii — who seems to have taken a shining to outclassing UFC heavyweights in the twilights of their careers — in his last appearance, but he poses a hell of a bigger threat than Bob Sapp or Butterbean ever did. At least for the first two minutes.
And on the off chance you find yourself tuning into a KSW event for reasons other than morbid curiosity, you should know that KSW 23 will also feature the likes of Kendall Grove and Maciej Jewtuszko on the card, as well as a headlining middleweight fight between Mamed Khalidov and Melvin Manhoef. As in the case of McCorkle vs. Pudz, the probability that the main event ends inside the first round is higher than Josh Rosenthal.
KSW 23 goes down from the Ergo Arena in Gdansk, Poland on June 8th.
Sometimes, there’s no shame in being a can crusher. As much as we love watching close fights between our sport’s top fighters, some of our sport’s most entertaining finishes came to fruition because a fighter of reasonable competence was locked in the cage with an utterly hopeless ham-n-egger. There’s nothing wrong with pounding the bejesus out of a hapless jobber every once in a while, which is exactly what Mariusz Pudzianowski, Jan Blachowicz and Dusan Panajotovic did yesterday. Fortunately for us, they filmed it for posterity as well.
At thirty-five years old, “can crusher” is probably the ceiling for five-time World’s Strongest Man Mariusz Pudzianowski’s MMA career. The odds of him ending up in the big leagues outside of his home country are pretty slim- which is perfect, because he seems more than content to smash freaks and nobodies in front of enthusiastic Polish fans. At yesterday’s KSW 20, Pudzianowski faced 4-1 Greek American prospect Christos Piliafas. All of Piliafas’ fights have ended by TKO- four of which in the first round. A technical grappling clinic this would not be, as Pudzianowski scored takedowns and eventually punched out Piliafas 3:48 seconds into round one. Unfortunately, videos of this scrap have quickly been taken off of YouTube. We know, we’re just as heartbroken as you are.
But as a consolation prize, we’re going to offer you KSW Light Heavyweight Champion Jan Blachowicz’s successful title defense against Houston Alexander from the same card. A win over Alexander may not mean too much anymore, yet Blachowicz never appeared in trouble throughout the fight. Unfortunately, save for an armbar at the end of round one and a triangle choke at the end of round two, neither did Alexander. Okay, so it’s a pretty lousy consolation prize. Whaddayagonnado?
*sigh*
Sometimes, there’s no shame in being a can crusher. As much as we love watching close fights between our sport’s top fighters, some of our sport’s most entertaining finishes came to fruition because a fighter of reasonable competence was locked in the cage with an utterly hopeless ham-n-egger. There’s nothing wrong with pounding the bejesus out of a hapless jobber every once in a while, which is exactly what Mariusz Pudzianowski, Jan Blachowicz and Dusan Panajotovic did yesterday. Fortunately for us, they filmed it for posterity as well.
At thirty-five years old, “can crusher” is probably the ceiling for five-time World’s Strongest Man Mariusz Pudzianowski’s MMA career. The odds of him ending up in the big leagues outside of his home country are pretty slim- which is perfect, because he seems more than content to smash freaks and nobodies in front of enthusiastic Polish fans. At yesterday’s KSW 20, Pudzianowski faced 4-1 Greek American prospect Christos Piliafas. All of Piliafas’ fights have ended by TKO- four of which in the first round. A technical grappling clinic this would not be, as Pudzianowski scored takedowns and eventually punched out Piliafas 3:48 seconds into round one. Unfortunately, videos of this scrap have quickly been taken off of YouTube. We know, we’re just as heartbroken as you are.
But as a consolation prize, we’re going to offer you KSW Light Heavyweight Champion Jan Blachowicz’s successful title defense against Houston Alexander from the same card. A win over Alexander may not mean too much anymore, yet Blachowicz never appeared in trouble throughout the fight. Unfortunately, save for an armbar at the end of round one and a triangle choke at the end of round two, neither did Alexander. Okay, so it’s a pretty lousy consolation prize. Whaddayagonnado?
One final note: Bob Sapp apparently retired after his most recent humiliating defeat, and quickly unretired to fight Dusan Panajotovic before anyone could actually enjoy him not being around. Despite the professionalism that Ultimate Fight Serbia tries to convey- and by the way, I can’t help but feel like I’ve seen their logo before – they booked Bob Sapp to fight and got exactly what they paid for. They got a YouTube hype video that looked like this:
But today is Mother’s Day, so I’m going to try to be somewhat positive for a few sentences. The good news to come out of this event is that Matt Horwich managed to snap a four fight skid with a third round TKO over Poland’s own Antoni Chmielewski, who was 22-8 coming into this fight. Horwich has always been an interesting character, sort of a non-juiced up hippy Ultimate Warrior. Even though he’s too crazy for most major promotions to take a chance on him (not to mention his pedestrian 27-21 record), he fits in just fine with KSW’s roster. That wouldn’t usually be intended as a compliment, but in whatever section of the multiverse Matt Horwich is from, it is.
Video of Horwich’s victory and the freak show that was Bob Sapp vs. Mariusz Pudzianowski after the jump.
But today is Mother’s Day, so I’m going to try to be somewhat positive for a few sentences. The good news to come out of this event is that Matt Horwich managed to snap a four fight skid with a third round TKO over Poland’s own Antoni Chmielewski, who was 22-8 coming into this fight. Horwich has always been an interesting character, sort of a non-juiced up hippy Ultimate Warrior. Even though he’s too crazy for most major promotions to take a chance on him (not to mention his pedestrian 27-21 record), he fits in just fine with KSW’s roster. That wouldn’t usually be intended as a compliment, but in whatever section of the multiverse Matt Horwich is from, it is.
Okay, positive sentences over. Time to talk about Bob Sapp vs. Mariusz Pudzianowski.
I think it’s safe to say that Bob Sapp can’t do anything right at this point in his career, except be a large, scary looking guy that has zero chance of winning and even less of a chance of hurting his opponent. At the weigh-ins, he put a picture of Pudzianowski on a (presumably uncooked) chicken. See, because he thinks Mariusz is “chicken”, get it? It’s not exactly the most clever way to mock someone- especially when you remember that Bob Sapp just tapped out to a double leg takedown- but he clearly put far more effort into that than he did training.
Perhaps it’s only because he was fighting Bob Sapp, but Mariusz seems to have made strides in his standup. I’m not saying he’s ready for legit competition or anything, but still, props to him for taking this fight seriously. You know the drill by now: Sapp gets caught, Sapp covers up and waits for the “fight” to end, the referee decides that the fight should stop before Bob Sapp actually takes some kind of damage (even though Pudzianowski initially doesn’t oblige), and then everyone is laughing and giving out bro-grabs afterwards, seemingly forgetting that Sapp was “out” just a few seconds ago.
As KSW likes to say, biznes jak zwykle. At least I think it’s them that says that.
Full Results
Mariusz Pudzianowski def. Bob Sapp via TKO, Round One
Mamed Khalidov def. Rodney Wallace via KO, Round One
Michal Materla def. Jay Silva via Majority Decision
Matt Horwich def. Antoni Chmielewski via TKO, Round Three
Aslambek Saidov def. Grigor Aschugbabjan via submission (Kimura), Round One
Marta Chojnoska def. Paulina Suska via submission (Scarf Hold Armlock), Round One
Borys Mankowski def. Marcin Naruszczka via Majority Decision
