Throughout UFC’s history, some big heavyweights were competing in the octagon.
And then, there were some BIG heavyweights competing in the octagon.
I’m talking about guys that had to weight cut to get to the 265 lbs heavyweight limit.
Here’s a list of the 20 biggest UFC fighters of all time.
It’s hard to determine who’s the biggest, as all fighters adhere to the 265 lbs limit (only a few came over the limit before it was introduced).
Therefore, we’ll look at their overall size, height, and walking weight to see who were the biggest heavyweights ever in the UFC.
When you hear “biggest” or “fattest” guys in UFC history, most people instantly think of Roy Nelson and his big belly.
It’s hard to judge these things, as there were only a handful of UFC events before the 265 lbs the promotion introduced the heavyweight limit.
Many fighters walk around a lot heavier than that and then cut to 265, but Big Country isn’t one of them, even though his big belly is world-famous.
Some people wondered why he never made the cut to light heavyweight, believing he’d be more efficient, but big Roy never cared for that idea.
While Shane Carwin was well-known for his giant physique, there were many guys even bigger than him.
Standing at 6’4’’ (188 cm), Carwin weighed in at 265 lbs most of his career.
However, his walking weight was much bigger at around 280 lbs (127 kg).
That’s bigger than most heavyweights in the UFC, but later in his career, Carwin dropped that weight even further, weighing in at around 255 lbs (115kg).
There’s no doubt he was one of the biggest UFC fighters ever, especially around the time when he duked it out against Brock Lesnar.
At first glance, you wouldn’t put Greg Hardy here among the UFC’s biggest fighters ever.
Being 6’5’’ (196 cm) and walking around at about 285 lbs (129 kg), Hardy is the only guy ever to (almost) miss weight – at heavyweight.
He initially missed weight coming at 266.5 lbs for his fight against Maurice Greene but slipped past after getting an additional hour to lose the weight.
If being the only guy ever to (almost) miss heavyweight in the UFC doesn’t get you on this list, I don’t know what does.
It’s crazy that Mark Hunt is on this list, considering that he’s shorter than most UFC heavyweights.
However, the legendary Super Samoan had to cut tons of weight to make the 265 lbs limit for most of his fights.
He walked around at 300 lbs (136 kg) for most of his career and then dropping to 265 to make weight.
Be it nature, training, steroids, or everything combined; Brock Lesnar was one huge fellow while competing in the UFC.
You put him next to other big guys such as Alistair Overeem or Shane Carwin, and Lesnar dwarfed them.
He wasn’t the tallest fighter around the division at 6’3’’ (191 cm), but he was super buff.
He regularly weighed in at 265, but it is believed his normal walking weight is between 285 and 290 lbs (roughly 130 kg).
Derrick Lewis was the kind of dude that came to weigh-ins with a bucket of fried chicken (before he drastically lost weight and got into the best shape of his life).
He stands at 6’3’’ (191 cm), just like Lesnar, but weighed even more at his normal weight, walking at around 300 lbs (136 kg).
In the end, he always made the 265 lbs limit and now regularly weighs in the 255-265 range.
Antonio Silva was a 6’4’’ (193 cm) giant known for being one of the few fighters to endure brutal weight cuts to make the heavyweight limit.
While he never failed to make weight, he frequently came to the weigh-ins on fight morning at 280-285 lbs, meaning he rehydrated at least 20 lbs (9 kg) after the cut.
That means Bigfoot probably walks around 290-300 lbs (roughly 134 kg), making him well-deserving of his nickname.
Dan Christison wasn’t a big deal in the UFC, going 1-1 in his 2-fight stint with the promotion.
Still, he was one of the heavyweight giants and one of the tallest UFC fighters ever.
Nicknamed Big Dan, the guy was 6’8’ (203 cm)’ and normally weighed around 270 lbs (122 kg) when he was with the UFC.
He won both Fight and Performance of the Night bonuses for his first UFC gig against Brad Imes, only to get unanimously beaten by Frank Mir and never compete in the UFC again.
Later in his career, he even competed in super heavyweight.
The 6’7’’ (201 cm) giant went 1-2 in his UFC career, but some folks will always remember his UFC debut where he submitted Mark Hunt.
After his UFC release, he competed in super heavyweight and even pro-wrestling after his MMA days.
He was a big man in the UFC, but he got to 335 lbs (152 kg) in his last career fight after he left the promotion.
One of the guys on this list that competed before the 265 lbs limit was inducted was Paul Varelans.
At 6’8’’ (203 cm), Varelans fought in the UFC at around 310-320 lbs range (140-145 kg).
In his 8 UFC fights, he was a solid 4-4, but he was one of the pioneers of the game.
Later in his career, he got closer to 340-350 lbs (155-160 kg), so his opponents usually knocked him out before he could ever use his size advantage – he went to the 2nd round only once in his career.
If there was ever a guy who knew how to utilize his size in the UFC cage, it’s Tim Sylvia.
He was truly one of the giants and one of the few that crowned their career with a UFC title.
Sylvia stood at 6’8’’ (203 cm) as well, and while he never missed weight in the UFC, he did miss it later in his career (in ONE FC).
He also fought at super heavyweight a lot, and his biggest was 310 lbs (140 kg).
He wanted to make a comeback in 2015 under Reality Fighting, but they forced him to withdraw from the fight after declaring him “dangerously obese.” The former UFC champ got all the way up to 371 lbs (168 kg).
As far as I know, Wesley Sims never had too much trouble making heavyweight.
He was always in the 255-260 lbs range (115-118 kg), and I believe it was maybe just slightly less from his walking weight.
Well, he was a tower, a 6’10’’ (208 cm) tall, the fourth tallest UFC fighter in history (yes, the three taller are also on the list.
Do you want to know why Gan McGee got nicknamed The Giant?
Gan was around the same height as Wes Sims; only he weighed a whole lot more.
During his UFC tenure, he walked at around 270 lbs (122 kg), but he got a whole lot bigger after that.
For his 2004 fight against Semmy Schilt for Pride FC, McGee came in at 295 lbs (134 kg).
He once fought for the UFC title against Tim Sylvia and lost via TKO, but Sylvia tested positive for steroids later on, so it’s a shame that Gan never got a second chance.
You probably know Semmy Schilt as one of the best kickboxers to ever fight, but yes, he was in the UFC, too.
He comes in second place when we talk about the UFC’s tallest fighters, but he only weighed around 255-260 lbs (116-118 kg) at the time.
In his biggest days (most notably during his kickboxing career, he got to 290 lbs (132 kg).
If we considered only the 265 lbs limit era, Stefan Struve would be the biggest UFC fighter of all time.
He’s the only 7-footer (213 cm) to ever compete in the UFC, making him the tallest skyscraper to ever battle in the octagon.
He wasn’t that heavy, though, being around 280 lbs (127 kg) walking weight.
However, he towered over his opponents like nobody else, and he knew how to use it, getting eight post-fight bonuses in his storied career.
There weren’t even weight classes, so fighters pretty much came at whatever they liked.
He stood at 6’2’’ (188 cm) but weighed a staggering 400 lbs (181 kg) – not walking weight, but fighting weight.
Koji fought in the UFC once, in the UFC 9 event against Mark Hall.
He lost the fight after Hall broke his nose with a jab and never competed in the UFC again.
For that fight, though, the Japanese sumo-wrestler had 390 lbs (177 kg), compared to his opponent, who was only around 200 lbs (91 kg).
This guy might’ve had the shortest MMA career ever, but he was in the UFC.
In his only career UFC fight, Thomas Ramirez fought Don Frye at UFC 8 and got knocked out in merely 8 seconds.
For his 8-second MMA career, Ramirez weighed a whopping 410 lbs (186 kg) while being 6’1’’ (186 cm).
If you are a die-hard UFC or MMA fan, then you know who Teila Tuli is, even though he only fought once in his MMA career, just like Ramirez.
Tuli fought in the first UFC fight ever, on UFC 1 in 1993.
Originally a sumo-wrestler, a 6’2’’ Taylor Wily (Tuli changed his name later) fought at a whopping 415 lbs (188 kg) against Gerard Gordeau.
Tuli came to as much as 450 lbs (204 kg) in his sumo and pro-wrestling career, making him second only to one UFC fighter ever.
By far, the biggest, largest, and heaviest UFC fighter of all time is Emmanuel Yarbrough.
When he fought his only UFC fight, the colossal giant weighed in at an unbelievable 616 lbs (279 kg) in a 6’8’’ (203 cm) frame.
To this day (and forever), it’s the biggest size difference in UFC history at 416 lbs (188 kg).
He got up to 884 lbs (401 kg) later in life and sadly died of a massive heart attack in 2015 when he was only 51.
Are you wondering who the biggest UFC fighters of all time are?
In this article, we’ll look at the biggest UFC fighters and their weigh-in weights, fight weights, and walk-around weights.
Biggest UFC Fighters of All Time
Not only is this a list of the biggest UFC fighters, but it also features some of the biggest weight differences in UFC fights.
Many of the fighters on this list will remain the biggest UFC fighters forever, as before UFC 31 (01/05/2001), heavyweights could weigh in at any weight they pleased.
From UFC 31 onwards, weight classes were further reformed and the heavyweight division now had an upper weight limit of 265 lbs.
Because of the weight limit, included in this list is:
The fighter’s biggest weight they’ve weighed in for an MMA fight
The fighter’s biggest fight weight they’ve been after regaining water weight
If these weren’t included, all fighters that fought after UFC 31 would be down as the maximum weigh-in weight of 266 lbs (120.2 kg).
1. Emmanuel Yarbrough – 616 lbs (279.4 kg) – Weigh-in Weight
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Emmanuel Yarbrough was a 6’8” tall American sumo wrestler brought in at UFC 3 (09/09/1994).
Before the fight, Emmanuel weighed in at 616 lbs (279.4 kg), making him by far the biggest UFC fighter of all time.
His opponent, Keith Hackney, weighed in at 200 lbs (91 kg), which also makes this the biggest weight difference in UFC history, a total of 416 lbs (188.7 kg).
At the start of the fight, he managed to use his weight advantage well, throwing Keith out of the cage through the door a minute into the round.
Emmanuel’s manager revealed that Emmanuel had struggled with food addiction since an early age, weighing 320 lbs by the age of 14.
After the UFC, he once ballooned up to over 800 lbs before dying in 2015 from a heart attack.
2. Teila Tuli – 415 lbs (188.2 kg) – Weigh-in Weight
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Being one of the biggest UFC fighters of all time, being in the first UFC fight ever (12/11/1993), and having his teeth knocked out in this fight via a Gerard Gordeau soccer kick in round 1.
Teila was a sumo-wrestler, and at UFC 1 he weighed in at 415 lbs (188.2 kg) at a height of 6’2”, while Gerard was only 216 lbs (98 kg) at 6’5”.
This was another huge weight difference of 199 lbs.
3. Thomas Ramirez – 410 lbs (186 kg) – Weigh-in Weight
Not only was Thomas Ramirez one of the biggest UFC fighters of all time, weighing in at 410 lbs (186 kg) with a height of 6’1”, but he was also involved in the fastest UFC knockout at the time.
Both men were 6’1” and the weight difference was 204 lbs, as Don Fyre weighed just 206 lbs (93.4 kg).
4. John Matua – 400 lbs (181.4 kg) – Weigh-in Weight
During his 2 UFC fights, John fought at a weight of 400 lbs, while his first opponent, David Abbott, weighed 280 lbs (127 kg).
While 120 lbs is a big difference in MMA and John goes down as one of the biggest UFC fighters of all time, he’s more remembered for getting brutally knocked out by David Abbott – left as stiff as a table on the canvas with his arms and legs in the air.
5. Koji Kitao – 390 lbs (176.9 kg) – Weigh-in Weight
At his first and only UFC event (UFC 9), 6’7” Japanese sumo-wrestler Koji Kitao weighed 390 lbs (176.9 kg).
His opponent, Mark Hall, weighed 189 lbs (85.7 kg), meaning the weight difference was 201 lbs.
Despite the huge weight difference, Hall broke Koji’s nose with a right hook early in round 1, and after Koji took down Hall, John McCarthy surprisingly stopped the fight to have Koji’s nose looked at because of the blood leaking.
6. Tim Sylvia – 371 lbs (168.3 kg) – Weigh-in Weight
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The heaviest Tim ever weighed was 371 lbs (168.3 kg) before a Reality Fighting bout in 2015, but the fight was canceled after Tim was declared medically unfit to fight.
Tim Sylvia was one of the biggest UFC fighters who knew how to use his height, reach, and weight advantage, becoming a two-time UFC heavyweight champion.
He fought in the UFC 13 times between UFC 39 and UFC 81, where his maximum weigh-in weight was 266 lbs (120.6 kg).
To make 265 lbs, Tim often had to cut from 300 lbs in the months up to his fight.
After becoming the undisputed UFC champion, he surrendered his title after testing positive for stanozolol, an anabolic steroid used by fighters to help them cut body fat and retain muscle.
Cutting this much weight meant Tim flushed around 20/25 lbs of water weight, so when he stepped back into the octagon he was 285/290 lbs after gaining it back.
7. Scott Ferrozzo – 350 lbs (158.7 kg) – Weigh-in Weight
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Despite being very heavy in this fight, it wasn’t until his fight with David Abbott that Scott weighed in at a behemoth 350 lbs (158.7 kg).
This weight served him well in the majority of his UFC fights, but when he fought the much lighter Vitor Belfort at UFC 12, he lost by TKO in just 43 seconds.
8. Paul Varelans – 340 lbs (154.2 kg) – Weigh-in Weight
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The weight difference of 105 lbs was no advantage for Paul, as Kimo knocked him out in the first round.
8. Mark Hunt – 340 lbs (154.2 kg) – Walk-around Weight
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Mark Hunt is another UFC fighter with a maximum weigh-in weight of 266 lbs (120.6 kg), but who cuts down a lot of weight and rehydrates back to at least 285 lbs for a fight.
He was once 284 lbs on a Thursday evening, leaving himself 18 lbs to cut by Friday’s afternoon weigh-in, which he made.
The heaviest Mark Hunt has known to be is 340 lbs (154.2 kg).
This was his weight at the start of training camp for his fight against Antonio Bigfoot Silva.
9. Sean McCorkle – 334 lbs (151.5 kg) – Weigh-in Weight
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Sean McCorkle, or ‘Big Sexy’, was another tower in the UFC, standing 6’7” tall and weighing 334 lbs (151.5 kg) in his last super heavyweight fight before retirement.
As Sean fought in the UFC three times between 2010-2012, his maximum weigh-in weight was a maximum of 265 lbs.
However, before his first fight with Mark Hunt, Sean had to cut down from 320 lbs in just 12 weeks.
Therefore it’s likely his actual fight weight against Mark was around 285/290 lbs, as he would’ve regained 20/25 lbs in water weight before the fight.
Kevin Rosier – 325 lbs (147.4 kg) – Weigh-in Weight
Kevin Rosier fought at UFC 1 weighing 80 lbs heavier than what he claimed he was.
Art Davie in his book, “Is This Legal”, said Kevin Rosier actually came into UFC 1 weighing 325 lbs – which is enormous for a 6’4” fighter.
Throughout his MMA career and beyond, Rosier had always struggled with his weight and in 2015 at the age of 53, he died of a heart attack.
Greg Hardy – 310 lbs (140.6 kg) – Walk-around Weight
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Greg Hardy is a former NFL defensive end, who had no trouble making the transition to a UFC heavyweight.
He quickly became one of the UFC’s biggest fighters, often walking around at 310 lbs (140.6 kg) and needing large weight cuts to make weight at 266 lbs.
His large size and weight cuts are known to be a problem, as he likes to lose a lot of water weight in order to retain as much size as possible.
He became one of the first UFC heavyweights to miss weight on his first attempt, weighing in at 266.5 lbs, before making the limit on his second attempt 2 hours later.
Derrick Lewis – 300 lbs (136 kg) – Walk-around Weight
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One of the UFC’s most devastating knockout artists, ‘The Black Beast’ has weighed in at 266 lbs on multiple occasions.
Prior to his training camp 3 months out from a fight, Lewis is known to weigh around 300 lbs, before sometimes cutting to under 260 lbs, depending on the style of his opponent.
All in all, Derrick isn’t shy about bulking up and getting to 300 lbs, and that’s a lot of weight for a man only standing 6’3”.
While he’s never missed weight in the UFC, he was once open in his belief he’d miss weight in his fight against Chris Daukaus, and many times open about his love of food; especially fried chicken and hamburgers.
Tank Abbott – 298 lbs (135.1 kg) – Weigh-in Weight
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Tank Abbott is an absolute legend of the UFC and MMA world, and as the name suggests, he was a very big fighter, weighing in at 298 lbs (135.1 kg) for UFC 11 – packed onto his 5’11” frame.
Gan McGee – 296 lbs (134.2 kg) – Weigh-in Weight
Gan McGee was a 6’10” giant who fought in the UFC from UFC 28 to UFC 44.
As UFC 28 was before the heavyweight division adopted the 265 lbs limit, Gan McGee weighed in against Josh Barnett at 296 lbs (134.2 kg).
Gan McGee vs Josh Barnett is considered the first and only UFC super heavyweight fight because in the next events before UFC 31, there was only one other heavyweight fight in which both fighters were under 265 lbs, and McGee was the last fighter to weigh above the limit.
Semmy Schilt – 291 lbs (132 kg) Weigh-in Weight
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Nicknamed appropriately as ‘The Hightower’, Semmy was 6’11” and had a maximum UFC weigh-in of 261 lbs (118.4 kg).
Mostly known for his 4-year MMA career with Pancrase and his kickboxing career in K1, Semmy bulked up to a maximum weight of 291 lbs (132 kg) when competing under Glory Kickboxing, as heavyweights have no upper limit.
If it wasn’t for the heavyweight limit, being 6’11” and on the thinner side, Semmy could’ve easily bulked well above 300 lbs.
Brock Lesnar – 290 lbs (131.5 kg) Walk-around Weight
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When Brock Lesnar arrived in the UFC, he wowed a lot of people by being a genetic freak in terms of the amount of muscle mass he had on a 6’2” frame.
His walking weight is around 290 lbs (131.5 kg), where he’s successfully cut down to make the 266 lbs weight limit every time.
When fighting he rehydrates up to between 280-285 lbs.
Antonio Silva – 285 lbs (129.2kg) – Fight Weight
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He is 6’4” and his maximum UFC weigh-in was 266 lbs (120.6 kg).
However, he’s known for having to cut weight to make the weight limit and would normally fight around 285 lbs (129.2 kg).
Shane Carwin – 285 lbs (129.2 kg) – Walk-around Weight
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When Shane Carwin fought in the UFC from UFC 84 to UFC 141, he was an absolute mass monster with barely any fat on him and he managed to become the UFC interim champion.
His maximum weigh-in weight was 265 lbs (120.2 kg), but his walk-around weight was around 285 lbs.
Francis Ngannou 285 lbs (129.2 kg) Walk-around Weight
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Unsurprisingly, the dominant UFC heavyweight champion, Francis Ngannou, is another big UFC fighter.
The months before his fight with Ciryl Gane, Ngannou’s walk-around weight was 285 lbs, but he weighed in at 257 lbs for the fight.
He’s weighed in heavier than this before, but for this fight he wanted to get lower in weight and closer to Gane who’s a very silky and quick heavyweight.
285 lbs is a hefty weight for a fighter only standing 6’4”, but Francis could get well over 300 lbs if he wanted to, as he’s all muscle with very little body fat.
Stefan Struve – 280 lbs (127 kg) – Fight Weight
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Stefan Struve isn’t recognized for being the most big-boned or muscular UFC fighter, but what he lacks in size, he makes up for in height.
Standing 7 feet tall and nicknamed ‘The Skyscraper’, his height makes up most of his weight.
Weighing in at the heavyweight limit of 266 lbs for nontitle fights at, his actual weight inside the octagon when fighting was around 280 lbs.
With his height, it’s surprising Stefan never looked to add a lot more muscle to his frame and perform greater weight cuts – perhaps he didn’t want to be left drained.
Justin Tafa – 280 lbs (127 kg) – Walk-around Weight
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New Zealander Justin Tafa became the first UFC heavyweight to miss weight when he weighed in at 267.5 lbs at UFC Vegas: 45.
This is unprofessional seeing as he’s only 6’ tall, and while his walk-around weight isn’t known, it’s likely to be around 280 lbs (127 kg) – otherwise, he wouldn’t have missed weight.
The reason he missed weight was because of a botched water flush, while Tafa admitted he wouldn’t be able to fight if he continued sweating out water.
Dan Christison – 275 lbs (124.7 kg) – Fight Weight
Dan only had 2 fights in the UFC, but he put his name in the history books by being one of the tallest UFC fighters, standing 6’8” and having the longest reach in UFC history, with 85”.
Being as tall as he was, Dan weighed around 275 lbs (124.7 kg) and only needed to cut around 10 lbs to make the heavyweight limit, meaning he also fought around 275 lbs.
Roy Nelson 270 lbs (122.47 kg) – Walk-around Weight
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Appropriately nicknamed “Big Country”, Roy Nelson is one of the biggest UFC fighters because of his unwillingness to cut his high body fat, rather than being extremely tall or carrying a lot of muscle.
Roy is only 6 ft tall and it’s often said Roy’s natural weight class would be middleweight if he were to diet down and execute a proper weight cut.
He never cared for that though, and would constantly yo-yo between 240 lbs and 265 lbs throughout his 22 UFC fights.
Unfortunately, Roy couldn’t control his eating, and before fights weighed around 270 lbs (122.47 kg), which is the biggest confirmed walking weight of his.
This has been a list of the 23 biggest UFC fighters of all time, and for the fighters who weighed massive amounts prior to UFC 31, fair enough, they were allowed to and thought it’d be an advantage in the octagon.
However, as history has shown us, being a bigger fighter isn’t necessarily an advantage, especially when getting over 265 lbs – which is why the 265 lbs heavyweight limit makes sense and why many of these huge fighters were knocked out repeatedly.
What doesn’t make sense is the fighters who balloon up to 290 lbs or more after the heavyweight limit was introduced in 2001.
The UFC is year-round and getting up to these unhealthy weights leads to a fighter having to perform a weight cut which definitely impacts performance when fighting.