Known by fans and MMA announcers predominantly as “Butterbean”, Eric Scott Esch is most well-known for his bald pate and heavy weight. At only 5’11”, Butterbean has consistently fought at about 395 pounds. Butterbean traditionally trained in his hometown of Jasper, Alabama while running Mr. Bean BBQ, a restaurant he owns.
Butterbean first made a name for himself when he began drawing huge crowds with the Toughman Contest promotion. He established a record of 56 wins with only 5 losses during his time with the promotion, obtaining 36 knockouts and holding the World Toughman Heavyweight Champion’s belt a record five times. He became known as the “”king of four rounders” and was very well-liked by fans.
Joining the IBA promotion after the Toughman series stopped their promotions, Butterbean began handily defeating opponents and very quickly became the IBA World Super Heavyweight Champion; he held the title until he relinquished when he left the IBF promotion.
After a tough ten round loss to Larry Holmes and a later loss in a title match against George Linberger with the NABC promotion, Butterbean began to focus his training on standup and kick boxing. He began to establish a commanding record, recording 77 wins and 58 knockouts in his first 135 fights.
