The year was 2006. The event? PRIDE FC: Bushido 12. The matchup? Ikuhisa “Minowaman” Minowa versus Eric “Butterbean” Esch. It was the kind of glorious, absurd spectacle that could only happen in the anything-goes world of mid-2000s Japanese MMA.
Minowaman vs. Butterbean
On one side stood Minowa, the fearless “Giant Killer,” weighing in at 198 pounds of scrappy brilliance. On the other side loomed Butterbean, the bowling ball-shaped boxing legend who tipped the scales at over 400 pounds. That’s right, this fight featured a jaw-dropping 200-pound weight difference. Think David vs. Goliath, but with more spandex and way more chaos.