The Ultimate Fighting Championship is the core and pinnacle of human fitness. In every fighter you see at the event, you can see the lack of fat, the sharpness in the expression of the muscles, and his top martial form. Every fighter must fulfill this on the way to the most famous Octagon in the world to be better than the opponent and become successful. But in the MMA playground, all fighters have advantages and disadvantages, and lean muscles are not always necessary for victory. Sometimes, all you need is a big belly and enormous knockout power, and this list will show you that even fat fighters can get the prizes.
Daniel Cormier (11-2-0)
Daniel Ryan Cormier was born in 1979 in Lafayette, Louisiana, US, and who better to start this list with than the retired double heavyweight and light heavyweight champion? DC comes from a wrestling background where he won numerous gold, silver, and bronze medals in various important freestyle wrestling and Greco-Roman wrestling competitions.
Daniel was the National Champion six times in a row, and of all the medals won, his big belly is the main one. He first appeared for the UFC in 2013 against Frank Mir, and, for the rest of his career, he made top performances against the world’s toughest elite, such as Jon Jones twice, Stipe Miocic twice, Alexander Gustafsson, Anderson Silva, Anthony Johnson, and Dan Henderson.
But a big stomach is not the only thing that adorns Cormier; his big heart helped him achieve top results in the world’s largest organization and retire as one of the greatest of all time.
Ben Rothwell (9-8-0)
Big Ben Rothwell was born in 1981 in Kenosha, Wisconsin, U.S., and is a former heavyweight fighter on the UFC roster. Ben is an experienced mixed martial arts veteran who has competed in numerous organizations outside of the UFC, where he managed to complete 53 matches, and out of 39 wins, he has 28 knockouts, which insinuates that his bombastic power comes from his belly.
All kidding aside, Ben’s UFC record is full of ups and downs, but what can’t be disputed is his heart in the Octagon against formidable competition in the heavyweight division. Some of the names adorn his resume are Andrei Arlovski, Junior Dos Santos, Gabriel Gonzaga, Alistair Overeem, and others.
Besides these old-school greats, Ben stuck around to welcome the new generation of fighters like Chris Barnett and Marcyn Tybura. Ben has been out of the UFC for two years and has turned his attention to the Bare Knuckle Championship, where his career is going in the right direction.
Chris Barnett (2-2-0)
Christopher James Barnett, famous under his battle name “Beastboy” or “Huggybear,” was born in 1986 in Zaragoza, Spain. He comes from a Martial Arts family with a background in Taekwondo, and he tested himself in wrestling and judo before starting his MMA career.
Chris is a new heavyweight meat in UFC, where he arrived as reinforcement after being tested in other organizations 26 times. In 2021, he debuted against before mentioned Ben Rothwell. Barnett has yet to fight for his glory in the biggest martial organization, and his style of fighting you would never pair with his weight.
Chris moves as if he belongs to the two categories below and loves to fight, dance, and spin a lot. Beastboy, with a total of 23 victories, has enviable 18 knockouts, and outside of the arena, is one of the most positive and smiling faces of the game that only adds positive points to his attractive personnel.
Derrick Lewis (18-9-0)
The Black Beast was born in 1985 in New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. This fan fan-favorite heavyweight has been performing in the UFC for nine years, and considering how many faces he brings before the TV screens, he might be there for a long time.
His persona is irresistible, and his power is infinite. Lewis is the current Knockout King in this organization, as he firmly holds the first place with 14 knockouts, making him the man with the most finishes in the company’s history.
More than once awarded with Performance of the Night and Fight of the Night Rewards, Lewis picks up the bonus every time he enters the cage. Former Legacy FC Heavyweight Champion, except for his bombastic power, is to be recognizable as “Jiu-Jitsu does not work on him.”
When getting bored while wrestling and scrambling, Derrick will simply get up under the opponent and continue the fight in the stand-up, where he is the most dangerous.
Alexander Romanov (6-2-0)
Alexander Romanov, aka “King Kong,” was born in 1990 in Comrat, SSR Moldova, Soviet Union. Romanov comes from a freestyle wrestling background, and considering the others on this list, Aleksander is another fighter who is young in both the UFC and the MMA scene in general.
He started his MMA adventure in 2016 and went to the UFC ranks with victories in the Eagle FC organization, where he became the heavyweight champion. Romanov achieved five victories in a row at the beginning of the UFC career.
Still, this young fighter was stopped by Tybura and more experienced Aleksander Volkov. After the defeat, Romanov returned in the same year, 2023, and defeated Blagoy Ivanov to return to winning ways. King Kong is currently ranked 13th on the UFC roster, has only been fighting for the organization for three years, and still has time to make a name for himself.
Roy Nelson (9-10)
Big Country was born in 1976 in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. Nelson is another veteran of this sport and definitely the most famous fat fighter. Regardless of his experience and years, Roy is still active, and his career spans two decades, where he has faced the most dangerous fighters in the world.
He fought under the UFC lights for eight years. In their infamous Octagon, he achieved victories against Cro-Cop, Matt Mitrione, Brendan Schaub, and Antonio Silva. Of course, there were also many defeats of the most famous heavyweights in the organization.
Still, no fall could keep Nelson on the bench. Out of 24 wins, Roy knocked out 16 opponents and is known for the devastating power in his hands. Win or lose, Nelson was always bold and happy to return to the cage to put on a show and try to hospitalize his opponents with one punch.
Mark Hunt (8-8-1-1NC)
Super Samoan was born in 1974 in South Auckland, New Zealand, and is a retired MMA fighter. Mark comes from a seasoned kickboxing background and is the epitome of human toughness, and the fact that Mirko Cro-Cop couldn’t knock him out with his deadly left leg will tell you that.
He performed in the UFC from 2010 to 2018, sharing the cage with Miocic, Overeem, Derrick Lewis, Frank Mir, Roy Nelson, and other category giants. In addition to the dynamite in his hands, Hunt became known as the “King of Walk Off’s.”
After this “big Samoan head” hit his opponent’s chin, the unfortunate fighter of the night would spill on the canvas. Mark would simply and lightly walk away from him, showing no interest in finishing him off. Maybe someone would think it’s his laziness towards the wrestling actions, but the truth is that the answer lies in the confidence he has in his hands.
Tai Tuivasa (8-6-0)
Another fighter with Samoan heritage and weight on this is Tai “Bam Bam” Tuivasa, born in 1993 in Sydney, Australia. Tai is probably the younger version of Hunt, battle-tested in boxing, kickboxing ring, and, of course, the Octagon.
This, call him a new generation fighter, has been a UFC employee since 2017, where he showed that, as his lineage requests, he is too tough for his own good. We can see from Tai’s malicious smile in the cage that he is a fighter at heart, and the main weapon in his arsenal is the artillery in his hands.
Tuivasa is a fan favorite and a fighter you can’t hate. His love for brawling with the most dangerous people in the world only adds to his charm. Tai is currently on a losing streak but against the top six fighters in the division, and we pray for him to get back to winning ways.
Marcin Tybura (11-7-0)
Tybur was born in 1985 in Uniejow, Poland. The Polish heavyweight has been a member of the UFC for seven years, where he fights at the top and is currently ranked 11. Tybura is a member of the ANKOS MMA team and a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
The experienced Marcin has fought in 32 wars and, in recent years, has clashed with well-known Rothwell, Spivak, Volkov, and Aspinall. We must not forget that this chubby fighter had a rough welcome upon arriving at the UFC against Lewis, Werdum, Arlovski, and Struve in the first three matches.
One thing is certain, and that is that Marcin Tyubar always and consistently accepts tough fights. The former M-1 champion has been awarded Performance of the Night bonuses several times for his spectacular performances. His balanced finish percentages of nine knockouts, six submissions, and nine decisions suggest we never know how he will end a fight.
Josh Barnett (7-3-0)
The Warmaster was born in 1977 in Seattle, Washington, USA; remembering his beginnings means you are getting old. He is a combat veteran of over 40 matches, a former fighter of Strikeforce, Pride, and finally, the UFC, where he retired from the sport in 2016.
In his time, Josh never gave the impression of a dangerous fighter with his physical appearance, but his results say otherwise. He is a former UFC heavyweight champion and participated in many submission grappling events, where he became the world and international champion several times.
Prone to finishing fights by any means possible, Barnett faced stiff competition in the world against fighters such as Fedor Emelianenko, Cro-Cop, Mark Hunt, Andrei Arlovski, and Frank Mir, and it was a real feat that he was able to reach UFC gold. Josh even tried his hand in 2020 at a bare-knuckle match, which he won by TKO in the second round.
Tim Sylvia (9-4-0)
Retired old-school cage fighter Timothy Deane Sylvia was born in 1976 in Ellsworth, Maine, U.S. “The Maine-Iac” had an exciting career in the UFC, for which he first performed in 2002 and since then managed to enroll in nine wins and four defeats, and of a total of 31 wins, there are as many as 22 knockouts.
Tim faced Frank Mir, Randy Couture, Brandon Vera, and Arlovski in a dangerously plotted heavyweight division as many as three times. After fighting the last match for White’s organization, Sylvia continued to hunt MMA’s great names from his category in other organizations, so he tolled against the legendary Fedor, a boxer legend of Ray Mercer, and Satoshi Ishi.
It is important to note that the team was the UFC heavyweight champion twice, with a total of three defenses of the title in his reigns. Sylvia retired from the sport after three straight losses in 2013.
Parker Porter (4-4-0)
Parker Frederick Porter was born in 1985 in Hartford, Connecticut, United States. He started training in MMA at the age of 21. At the beginning of his career, he tested his abilities against Jon Jones and later against Gabriel Gonzaga.
A former light heavyweight and today a heavyweight, Parker is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt. He has been professionally active since 2007 and has performed for the UFC since 2020. In 13 fights, Porter has shown that he can end a match in any way, but unfortunately, he can also lose in the same way.
Porter is quite unlucky in his fighting streak, as every time he puts together a pair of wins, he manages to lose his way. Today, Parker is 38 years old, and the question is how much fight he still has in him. What is certain is that Porter will show up in the Octagon with his body mass every time, regardless of who is across from him.
Shawn Jordan (6-4-0)
Shawn Martin Jordan, known in the MMA world as “The Savage,” was born in 1984 in El Paso, Texas, United States. The former double state wrestling champion has been in the game for 15 years and fought for various organizations, including Bellator and Strikeforce, until they were bought by UFC, and in 2012 he started his career there. In his summary of 19 victories, Shawn has successfully put as many as 15 opponents to sleep.
He crossed his weapons with Gonzaga, Mitrione, Pat Berry, and Kongo fighters. He was even successful twice against Derrick Lewis. He is no stranger to Performance and Knockout of the Night awards, and Shawn, with his physical appearance, looks like someone who can shut you down in the blink of an eye.
Augusto Sakai (5-4-0)
Augusto dos Santos Sakai was born in 1991 in Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil, and has Japanese roots. Augusto was a member of the UFC heavyweight category until March 2023. This Brazilian hunk is a member of the American Top Team a brown belt in BJJ, and besides, he has devastating power in his hands, and out of 16 wins, he has 11 knockouts.
Sakai fought for various organizations, including Bellator, and made his UFC debut in 2016. Sakai’s career was going relatively well until the last few years of competition in the UFC, where he had four straight defeats, but, in his defense, we can say that his opponents were Overeem, Spivak, Rozenstruik, and Tai Tuivasa.
As mentioned, Augusto was released this year from the UFC, although he managed to come back from defeat with a victory. This young fighter will have to look for fame in another organization. Between fights, he works in an aquarium store.
Marcos Rogério de Lima (10-7-0)
Another giant comes to us from Brazil and is our last fighter on the list. His name is Marcos Rogério de Lima, born in 1985 in São Paulo, Brazil. Like the already mentioned compatriot, Augusto, Marcos is a member of the American Top Team and is a black belt in Brazilian jitsu with excess body fat and the ability to knock out.
Also known as Pazao, he has 14 knockouts out of 21 wins and has been professionally active since 2009. Lima has fought under the UFC banner since 2014, where he fought with top fighters such as Struve, Lewis, Krylov, Romanov, Rothwell, Ivanov, Arlovski and Ovince St. Preux.
He fought 17 matches for the UFC, where he had his ups and downs, and luckily for him, more ups. He fought his last fight in 2023 against the always unpleasant Derrick Lewis, whom he lost by technical knockout. He is waiting for the first opportunity to return to the winning streak.
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