Butterbean switched off James Thompson’s lights with a peach of a shot in his 13th professional MMA outing.
The rotund heavyweight made his name in boxing during the 1990s but turned his hand to MMA in 2003.
UFC Fight PassButterbean laid out Thompson with a huge right hand[/caption]
Following a disastrous debut that saw Butterbean – real name Eric Esch – get submitted by a fighter who was 17.5 stone lighter than him (Genki Sudo), the heavy-handed slugger traded wins and losses with varying levels of opposition.
By the time he ran into Thompson at Cage Rage 20 in 2007, he held a record of 8-3-1 while his experienced foe was 13-5 overall.
Thompson proved he was a decent fighter by scoring a unanimous decision win over UFC Hall of Famer Dan Severn three years prior.
However, he mainly kept his fights standing and was known for having a glass jaw – a troubling combination for a Butterbean opponent.
In the end, it proved to be his ultimate undoing as he was blown out inside 43 seconds.
A huge overhand right from Butterbean clipped Thompson in the opening stanza and sent him tumbling to the canvas.
On the way down, the Brit’s head bounced off the cage as the referee stepped in to wave off the contest.
A semi-conscious Thompson didn’t realise the fight had been called off and shot in for a takedown on Esch while the referee frantically tried to wrestle them apart.
Thompson protested that the stoppage came too early and demanded a rematch but it never came.
In the years that followed, the Rochdale powerhouse recorded victories over five-time ‘World’s Strongest Man’ winner Mariusz Pudzianowski, WWE superstar Bobby Lashley and MMA legends Don Frye and Bob Sapp.
UFC Fight PassBut Thompson kept fighting while Butterbean celebrated his win[/caption]
The 45-year-old hasn’t technically retired but also hasn’t competed since being submitted by Phil De Fries at Bellator 191 in 2017.
His record currently stands at 20-17 with 13 of those defeats coming by way of knockout.
Butterbean continued competing in the sport for four years after his win over Thompson before eventually hanging up his 4oz gloves with a 17-10-1 record.
His final bow came in 2011 against Sandy Bowman in Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada.
Butterbean was knocked out by a vicious head kick in the opening 30 seconds and never competed in MMA again.
In retirement, Esch’s health deteriorated.
His weight ballooned and got dangerously out of control, maxing out at 515bs.
For a time, Esch struggled to walk and had to move around in a wheelchair.
But he has since shed a remarkable 200lbs with the help of WWE legend Diamond Dallas Page and is aiming to make a return to the ring next year.
