Eric Butterbean is a mixed martial artist and media personality. Eric Butterbean is a combat sports pioneer who has carved a reputation for himself in a variety of disciplines including boxing, MMA, wrestling, and kickboxing.
Butterbean is a multi-talented individual. As a result, the 55-year-old competed in nearly every professional combat sport available at the time.
Table of Contents
Childhood
Eric Butterbean was born on August 3, 1966, in Atlanta, Georgia, to his parents.
Unfortunately, we were unable to locate any information regarding his parents.
Moving on, Butterbean’s childhood was exceedingly difficult for him
. To explain, Eric never had a stable home because he had to move around a lot.
Eric’s mother passed away when he was only eight years old, adding to his anguish.
And, as if that wasn’t bad enough, the poor boy was constantly ridiculed at school because of his weight.
As a result, the Georgia native began taking boxing training to relieve his stress.
Butterbean even won a local Toughman Competition, which gave him the confidence to pursue a career in combat sports.
Age, Height & Body Measurements
Having been born in the year 1966 makes Eric Butterbean 55 years old currently.
Likewise, he started his professional career in 1994 and hung up his gloves in 2013, ending a nearly two-decade-long career.
Moreover, Butterbean’s recorded height is 5 feet 11 inches (1.82 meters), while his last known weight was 425 lbs (193 kg).
The Georgia native was one of the heaviest fighters during his career. Thus his weight should come as no surprise.
Facts of Eric Butterbean
Full Name | Eric Scott Esch |
Birth Date | August 3, 1966 |
Birth Place | Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. |
Nick Name | Butterbean |
Religion | Religion |
Nationality | American |
Ethnicity | White |
Education | Not available |
Horoscope | Leo |
Father’s Name | Not available |
Mother’s Name | Not available |
Siblings | Not available |
Age | 55 Years Old |
Height | 5 ft 11 in (180 cm) |
Weight | 378 lb (171 kg; 27 st 0 lb) |
Hair Color | Blade |
Eye Color | Black |
Net Worth | $500,000 |
Married | Yes |
Wife | Libby Gaskin |
Children | Yes |
Profession | Mixed Martial Arts, Media Personality |
Reach | 78 inch (198 cm) |
Type | Jiu-Jitsu, Boxing |
Team | Tristar Gym |
Division | Heavyweight |
Fighting Record | 97–24–5 |
Active Year | 1994- 2013 |
Retired Year | 2013 |
Social Media | |
Last Update | May 2022 |
Net Worth and Career Earnings
As of 2022, Eric Butterbean has a net worth of $500,000 accrued through his career as an MMA fighter, professional boxer, and kickboxer.
Moreover, Eric had fought for over 19 years to muster up that amount.
Although Eric might be long retired, he is still involved in business activities. For example, Eric owns a restaurant in Alabama called Mr. Bean BBQ, which further adds to his earnings.
Likewise, the professional Boxer owns a lavish house with various Cars. From this, we can assume that Eric is living a luxurious life at present.
Professional Life
Butterbean is a multi-talented individual. As a result, the 55-year-old competed in nearly every professional combat sport available at the time.
Eric has competed in boxing, MMA, kickboxing, and wrestling, among other sports.
The 5’11” heavyweights began fighting in 1994 and had a long and successful career.
Eric is most known for winning the IBA Super Heavyweight Championship in 1997 and defending it five times.
Larry Holmes vs. Eric Butterbean
His most famous bout, though, had to be against Larry Holmes. Despite the fact that Holmes was nearing the conclusion of his illustrious career, he managed to defeat Butterbean.
Furthermore, this was Eric’s first 10-round battle.
As a result, tiredness played a role in the 55-year-demise. old’s Despite this, Eric finished his boxing career with 77 victories, 10 losses, and four draws.
58 of Butterbean’s 77 victories had come by knockout, demonstrating his hitting prowess.
Career in Kickboxing
When it comes to kickboxing, Esch began his journey in the sport in 2003. The 55-year-old, however, only lasted a few years in the sport.
The main reason was that Butterbean struggled to adjust to a sport that was diametrically opposed to boxing.
As a result, the Atlanta native had a three-win, four-loss record in his two years in the K-1 promotion. Nonetheless, Eric had some remarkable experiences with K1 throughout his time there.
Butterbean’s most notable victory in K-1 came in 2003, when he knocked out Yusuke Fujimoto in the first round.
In addition, the 5’11” heavyweight won his final kickboxing battle in 2009.
To give you an example, Eric defeated Moon-Bi Lam in the first round.
Career in Mixed Martial Arts
Butterbean had a good record of 17 wins, 10 defeats, and one draw in his MMA career.
However, his MMA career did not start off well, as he lost his first fight and then drew his second.
As a result, after a shaky start, the Atlanta native was under pressure to deliver. And that’s exactly what Esch did, winning his next six fights to improve his record to 6-1-1.
Butterbean has competed in the defunct MMA powerhouse Pride Fighting Championship.
In reality, the 5’11” heavyweights fought in Pride FC’s final event in 2007, which Eric won by submission in the first round.
Wrestling on a Professional Level
Butterbean, as previously said, is a natural-born talent. As a result, the Atlanta native has dabbled with professional wrestling.
To explain, Eric debuted in the WWF (now WWE) in 1997, defeating former Golden Gloves champion Marc Mero.
Esch fought again in 1999 at WrestleMania XV, defeating Bart Gunn, the Brawl for All champion, in just 36 seconds.
Butterbean went on hiatus for a decade before making a comeback in 2009.
Eric won his first professional wrestling title shortly after, defeating Trent Acid for the Pro Wrestling Syndicate Heavyweight championship.
Following that, the Atlanta native fought in a few more fights before retiring in 2012.
Appearances in the Media
Eric is a professional boxer who also participates in various media appearances. He has appeared in different films, Television, Radio, and Video Games.
Butterbean has played in different films. To sum up, he has appeared in movies like Jackass: The Movie, Chairman of the Board, etc.
Likewise, he has also appeared in various TV shows. To name a few of them: Adult Swim’s Squidbillies, Hulk Hogan’s Celebrity Championship Wrestling, Friends of the People, etc.
The retired MMA has also appeared as a playable character in EA sports boxing games video in the knockout series.
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Boxing Record
Butterbean was one of the early pioneers who moved between various combat sports and gathered a combined record of 97 wins, 24 losses, and 5 draws.
However, if you want to know his career record and stats in individual sports, don’t worry, as we have covered it.
To illustrate, Eric fought an incredible 91 times in boxing, amassing 77 wins, 10 losses, and four draws.
Furthermore, the professional boxer fought a measly seven times in kickboxing, eventually finishing with three wins and four losses.,
Wife & Kids
Talking about his marriage, Eric Butterbean is happily married to his wife, Libby Gaskin. It seems like the couple wants to keep their relationship extremely private as there is no news regarding the subject.
Furthermore, the pair have been blessed with two sons, Brandon Esch, Caleb Esch, and a daughter, Grace Esch.
The two sons have followed in the footsteps of their old man, as both of them are professional MMA fighters.