Who is 'Butterbean?' All you need to know about the fan-favourite American MMA icon Eric Esch

Eric Esch, popularly known by his nickname, Butterbean, was a very accomplished combat sports athlete during his 19-year career.

The super heavyweight competed in boxing, kickboxing, and MMA, and even had stints in professional wrestling. His size and physique were deceiving as he put on entertaining bouts despite his 400lb frame. In addition, he earned the nickname 'King of the 4 Rounders' for the number of devastating knockouts in his bouts that were contested in four rounds.

Butterbean competed in a total of 91 professional boxing bouts between 1994-2013 and retired with a record of 77-10-4. He had a strong finishing rate as 58 of his wins came via KO/TKO. Arguably the biggest fight of his boxing career was against former heavyweight champion Larry Holmes in 2002.

Eric Esch vs Larry Holmes was contested in a 10-round bout, which was the first time for the super heavyweight's career at the time. The bout went the distance as Holmes earned a unanimous decision win in what ended up being the final bout of his Hall of Fame career.

The 'King of the 4 Rounders' carried his success over into MMA too, as he competed for notable promotions such as Pride, Cage Rage, K-1, King of the Cage, Rumble on the Rock, and KSW.

Despite the reputation he gained through his knockout power, the boxer-turned-MMA fighter showcased his ability to submit his opponents as he won more MMA fights via submission than he did via KO/TKO.

Although he had a winning record, Butterbean wasn't as successful in MMA as he was in boxing. He had a 17-10-1 MMA record and retired following back-to-back losses with his final loss coming via first-round TKO.

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What happened when Butterbean fought at WWE WrestleMania XV?

Butterbean capitalized on his reputation for his powerful strikes and knockouts as he accepted an offer to compete in a boxing bout at WWE WrestleMania XV.

The bout was against Bart Gunn, who was the winner of the company's infamous Brawl 4 All tournament. It was obvious that it was a mismatch as the super heavyweight made quick work of the WWE superstar. He dropped Gunn with a powerful right hook to earn a knockout win in 35 seconds.