Butterbean’s first MMA title fight ended in a disastrous 40-second defeat.
The boxing icon – real name Eric Esch – crossed over to MMA in 2003 and enjoyed some success as he scored a spectacular KO win over a 6ft 5in heavyweight known as ‘The Colossus’.
It wasn’t all plain sailing as Butterbean got drop-kicked and submitted by a man 200lbs lighter than him in 2006 before tapping to strikes after just 75 seconds when he fought five-time ‘World’s Strongest Man’ Mariusz Pudzianowski four years later.
In the fight prior to his ‘Pudzian’ defeat, the 400lb American fan favorite suffered a humiliating loss against Jeff Kugel in an XCC Super Heavyweight Championship bout.
The story of Butterbean vs Jeff Kugel
By 2010, Butterbean boasted a respectable 15-6-1 MMA record and was riding a three-fight win streak that showed he had submissions as well as punching power.
It was enough to impress Xtreme Cagefighting Championship, who invited him to compete for their super heavyweight title at a show in Michigan dubbed ‘Beatdown at the Ballroom 9’.
Hometown hockey player Jeff Kugel was drafted in as his opponent. The former Windsor Spitfires forward was infamously banned for life from the Ohio Hockey League for this violent outburst during a game in 1998.
Kugel entered the bout with no official fighting experience, but he still presented a tough task for Butterbean due to his 6ft 7in, 290lb frame and willingness to throw down.
When the fight started, Kugel tried to find his range with light kicks to the stomach and legs of his opponent.
However, Butterbean quickly closed the gap and initiated a clinch exchange.
It was a grave mistake as Kugel was able to use the position to trip him to the floor.
Kugel fell into mount position and used it to hammer away with punches until the fight was called off.
Butterbean ate 33 unanswered strikes before he tapped out after just 40 seconds in the quickest loss of his MMA career.
The combat sports icon was covered in his own blood, but he was able to quickly get back to his feet and give Kugel props for making it look easy in his MMA debut.
Butterbean had five more MMA fights before walking away from the sport in 2011 following a head kick KO loss against taekwondo instructor Sandy Bowman.
Two years later, he quit all forms of fighting after taking part in 126 bouts across boxing, kickboxing, and MMA.
- READ MORE: Butterbean’s suffered embarrassing loss to fighter who weighed 245lbs less in disastrous MMA debut
Butterbean comeback in 2025?
During his time on the sidelines, Butterbean’s weight ballooned up to 515lbs.
The 58-year-old worried that it could become a fatal issue, so he underwent a dramatic body transformation that saw him lose over 200lbs in weight
Today he tips the scales at around 300lbs, which is what he weighed during his peak years as a fighter.
“It changed my life, it really did,” Butterbean said about his body transformation.
“Honestly, I thought I had a couple of years left to live. I’m not bulls*******.
“I really forgot who I was, and I pretty much gave up on life.
“Now I believe in myself again. Butterbean is back for one more fight.”
In the past, Butterbean making a comeback would’ve been almost impossible. However, Mike Tyson is the same age as him and his recent fight with Jake Paul attracted 60 million people to Netflix.
Now it’s just a matter of finding the right opponent for Butterbean’s last hurrah.