Emmanuel Yarbrough facts for kids

Emmanuel Yarbrough (born September 5, 1964 – died December 21, 2015) was an American martial artist, professional wrestler, football player, and actor. He was very famous for his career in amateur sumo. He even held a Guinness World Record for being the heaviest living athlete.

Early Life and Sports

Emmanuel Yarbrough started his sports journey at Morgan State University. There, he played as an offensive tackle for the college football team. Later, he joined the college wrestling team. People gave him the funny nickname "Tiny" because of his very large size.

College Sports Journey

He became an NCAA All-American Division II wrestler in 1983 and 1985. His university later moved to Division I in 1986. In football, he was a Division I athlete in 1982 and 1983. After college, Yarbrough learned judo from Yoshisada Yonezuka. His coach helped him win a silver medal at the US Nationals tournament. This made him more interested in martial arts. He then started exploring amateur sumo and mixed martial arts.

Sumo Champion

Yarbrough began competing in amateur sumo in 1992. He won silver medals at the Sumo World Championships in 1992 and 1994. He also earned a bronze medal in 1993. Two years later, his weight increased a lot.

World Record Holder

Emmanuel Yarbrough eventually reached 704 pounds. This made him the Guinness World Record holder for the heaviest living athlete. He quickly became the World Amateur Sumo Champion. This made him one of the most famous sumo wrestlers outside of Japan. In 2007, he planned to lose weight to improve his health. He still hoped to join the next Sumo World Championships.

Fighting in Mixed Martial Arts

In 1994, Yarbrough joined the mixed martial arts group Ultimate Fighting Championship. He took part in the event UFC 3 to represent sumo. He fought against a much smaller opponent, Keith Hackney. Hackney was a kempo fighter.

Memorable Fights

Hackney quickly knocked Yarbrough down with a palm strike. Emmanuel got back up and pushed Hackney out of the cage door! The match restarted, and Hackney knocked Yarbrough down again. Hackney then won the fight. Because of this victory, Keith Hackney was called "The Giant Killer."

Emmanuel's second MMA fight was in Japan for Shooto. He faced Tatsuo Nakano, a former shoot-style professional wrestler. Yarbrough was much bigger than Nakano. This time, Yarbrough used the ring to his advantage. He pushed Nakano against the ropes. Yarbrough then put his stomach over Nakano's head. Nakano could not get out from under him and tapped out. This was Yarbrough's first and only MMA win.

Months later, Emmanuel had his third and last fight. This was for the Japanese group Pride Fighting Championships. He fought Daiju Takase, his smallest opponent. Takase avoided fighting Yarbrough directly. Eventually, Takase tried to take Yarbrough down. Yarbrough stopped him and gained a good position. However, Takase escaped and landed many punches. Yarbrough had to give up.

Professional Wrestling and Acting

From 1996 to 1997, Yarbrough was a professional wrestling competitor. He worked for the Catch Wrestling Association in Germany. His matches were based on his sumo career. He took part in a sumo tournament. He beat almost everyone except two wrestlers. He later won another tournament, beating famous wrestlers.

On Screen Appearances

Emmanuel Yarbrough also appeared in movies and TV shows. In 1997, he was in a Bollywood film called Mr. and Mrs. Khiladi. He was also on several talk shows and in a commercial for Motorola. He appeared on the HBO drama Oz as an inmate. In 2000, he played himself in the German wrestling movie Sumo Bruno.

His Legacy

On December 21, 2015, Emmanuel Yarbrough passed away at 51 years old. He had faced health challenges throughout his life. By age 14, he weighed 320 pounds. He believed this was due to eating a lot of fried foods. In 2007, he was in the hospital for a week due to heart problems. After seeing a specialist and changing his diet, he lost some weight. He went from over 800 pounds to about 670 pounds.

Achievements

Sumo

• 1995 World Amateur Sumo Champion
• 1992 1st Sumo World Championships Open Division 2nd Place
• 1993 2nd Sumo World Championships Open Division 3rd Place
• 1994 3rd Sumo World Championships Open Division 2nd Place
• 1996 5th Sumo World Championships Open Division 2nd Place

Collegiate wrestling

• NCAA All American, 1983, 1985 and 1986, Morgan State University

Judo

• Second place, U.S. Nationals 1989

College football

• NCAA Division I-AA All-American offensive tackle, Morgan State University, 1982, 1983

See also

In Spanish: Emmanuel Yarborough para niños