The 5 heaviest fighters in UFC history

#5 Koji Kitao – 390lbs

Koji Kitao was stopped by Mark Hall at UFC 9

A notable sumo wrestler in Japan, Kitao became the 60th Yokozuna in the history of the sport – the highest rank — before being drummed out of sumo in 1987 after a falling out with his coach. From there, he moved into a successful career as a professional wrestler. Of course, being a pro-wrestler in Japan in the mid-1990’s – particularly coming from a legitimate athletic background – meant that a brief career in MMA was always likely to be on the cards.

After a debut loss in Brazilian promotion Universal Vale Tudo Fighting – a TKO to Pedro Otavio – Kitao made his way to the USA for a fight at UFC 9 – the promotion’s first show not to feature a tournament format. Unfortunately for Kitao, despite a massive size advantage, his time in the UFC didn’t last long. Weighing in at a colossal 390lbs, Kitao outweighed his opponent, Mark Hall, by around 200lbs. The advantage didn’t help him.

When the fight began, Kitao charged Hall and shoved him into the fence before getting a slam down to the ground. It looked like he was in firm control until ref Big John McCarthy stepped in to call time – and it was revealed that Hall had broken the sumo’s nose with a short right hand as he moved forward. The fight was stopped there – after just 40 seconds – making it a classic UFC anticlimax. Hall did propose to his girlfriend post-fight though, making it slightly more memorable.

Kitao didn’t fight in the UFC following this, although he did pick up a win on the inaugural PRIDE show just over a year later, submitting future WWE star Nathan Jones with a keylock. He remains the only Yokozuna to have competed in the UFC.