A famous American sumo wrestler who is the biggest competitor ever to take part in the UFC has died aged 51.
Sumo champion Manny Yarbrough competed in the early days of the Ultimate Fighting Championships.
The Guinness World Record holder for heaviest athlete was also a popular sports icon, making appearances on shows such as The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and MTV alongside Miley Cyrus.
He tragically passed away on December 21 aged 51.
The cause of death is not yet confirmed.
The UFC released saying it sent its ‘sincerest condolences to the family and friends of Emanuel Yarbrough,’ reported Hollywood Life.
Manager Beatrice Davis also paid tribute to her client who loved to travel and would bring ‘smiles to the faces of all he would meet.’
‘He will be missed by his millions of fans around the world, friends and family. Emanuel constantly demonstrated the need to help the obese, particularly children. And he traveled the world to bring awareness to obesity.’
She said he had also been the subject of a new reality show and had appeared on several TV shows over the years most notably as Clarence Seroy in the HBO series Oz.
As a 6ft7in ‘World’s Heaviest Athlete’ title holder he set his sights on winning the US national Sumo title in 2014 before bowing out from competition.
Read More: Saying goodbye to Manny Yarbrough, big man with a bigger heart
