Mixed martial arts was more of a freak show than a high-level sport two decades ago and the comical bout between Emmanuel Yarbrough and Daiju Takase illustrates this point.
One of the most bizarre MMA fights took place in Japan under the Pride banner back in 1998, where legendary American sumo wrestler Yarbrough fought a 169lbs fighter.
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Yarbrough vs. Takase featured on the Pride 3 card and the sumo wrestler had a huge size advantage over his Japanese opponent.
But it was the smaller fighter who prevailed in a 17-minute long fight which saw Takase stop Yarbrough via strikes in the second round.
As soon as the fight started, Takase got on his bike and landed shots from the outside while avoiding Yarbrough's punches. The pair continued to trade shots in a standing position until Takase shot for a single-leg takedown which Yarbrough reversed, earning top position.
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However, the American failed to hold onto Takase who squirmed his way out of his grip while throwing a bunch of unanswered strikes forcing him to tap.
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Takase went on to fight in various promotions around the world including Pancrase and UFC, before retiring in 2015 with a 12-15-2 record.
Yarbrough, meanwhile, competed three times in MMA including a bout at UFC 3 before sadly passing away in December 2015 from a heart attack at the age of 51. He weighed a reported 700lbs at the time of his death.
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