Eric Esch

Butterbean
Esch in 2006
Born	Eric David Scott Esch (1966-08-03) August 3, 1966 Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
Nickname	Butterbean
Height	5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight	303.8 lb (138 kg)
Division	Heavyweight Super heavyweight
Reach	78 in (198 cm)
Style	Boxing
Stance	Orthodox
Years active	1994–2013 (boxing) 2003–2009 (kickboxing) 1995–2011 (MMA) 1997, 1999, 2009–2012 (professional wrestling)
Professional boxing record
Total	91
Wins	77
By knockout	58
Losses	10
Draws	4
Kickboxing record
Total	7
Wins	3
By knockout	2
Losses	4
By knockout	2
Mixed martial arts record
Total	28
Wins	17
By knockout	8
By submission	9
Losses	10
By knockout	7
By submission	3
Draws	1
Other information
Boxing record from BoxRec
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Eric David Scott Esch (born August 3, 1966), is an American television personality and retired professional boxer, kickboxer, mixed martial artist, and professional wrestler better known by his nickname "Butterbean". A competitor in the heavyweight and super heavyweight divisions, he is an overall four-time world champion across the four sports. Esch became a professional boxer in 1994 after a successful stint on the Toughman Contest scene and went on to capture the World Athletic Association (WAA) heavyweight and IBA super heavyweight championships. From 2003, he regularly fought as a kickboxer and mixed martial artist, notably in K-1 and the Pride Fighting Championships. Esch's combined fight record is 97–24–5 with 65 knockouts and 9 submissions.

Early life

Esch, who is of German descent, was born in Atlanta, Georgia, but at age four he and his family moved to St. Johns, Michigan, only to move again at 11 years old to Jasper, Alabama, with his family. He had a difficult childhood; his mother died when he was eight, and he was frequently bullied at school for being overweight.

While decking floors for manufactured homes at the Southern Energy Homes plant in Addison, Alabama, his colleagues dared him to enter a local Toughman Contest, with training in Bay City, Michigan. He won the tournament and began his career in fight sports.

Career

Boxing career; "King of the 4 Rounders" (1994–2002)

Esch began his fighting career on the Toughman Contest scene in Texarkana, Arkansas, in the early 1990s and went on to become a five-time World Toughman Heavyweight Champion with a record of 56–5 with 36 knockouts. He received the nickname "Butterbean" when he was forced to go on a diet (consisting mostly of chicken and butterbeans) in order to meet the Toughman 400 pound (181 kg) weight limit under the new age trainer Prozay Buell “the better Buell”.

He made his professional boxing debut on October 15, 1994, beating Tim Daniels by decision in Birmingham, Alabama. He soon developed a cult following and became known as "King of the 4 Rounders". Speaking of his popularity in a 2008 interview with BoxingInsider, Esch stated:

It took off pretty quick, my second pro fight was on national TV—it don't happen like that, normally you get 15, 20 fights and then you get a TV fight unless you’re very fortunate. Tyson, his second pro fight wasn’t on TV. He probably had five or six, seven fights before he got on TV. Me, my second pro fight was televised, it was on a Jed Hearns undercard. Then a couple more fights and I’m on TV again, and every fight since then was televised. It just don't happen like that. I've probably had more televised fights than any world champion out there.

Esch ran up a string of wins, mostly by knockout, before being stopped in two rounds by last-minute replacement Mitchell Rose on December 15, 1995. Rose would later claim that representatives of Top Rank Boxing approached him the night before the fight and offered him five thousand dollars to throw the match. Esch would then go on to win or draw his next 51 matches (although a number of his wins and draws by decision were considered highly controversial). His most notable win during that time was against Peter McNeeley. Esch never defeated an actively ranked heavyweight contender by any of the four major boxing organizations (WBA, WBC, IBF, WBO). In 1997 however, his promoter Bob Arum convinced the International Boxing Association (IBA) to create a title specifically for Esch called "The IBA Super Heavyweight Championship". In a 1999 interview with the LA Times, Bob Arum explained: "I came up with the idea to make him 'King of the Four-Rounders' and got (IBA commissioner) Dean Chance to give him a belt as champion of the nonexistent super heavyweight division." Esch would occasionally defend the title on the undercards of popular main events. He made six successful defenses before the title was relinquished in 2000. Later that year, the lightly regarded World Athletic Association (WAA) briefly granted him their vacant Heavyweight Title with the same promotional concept, although Butterbean never officially defended the belt.

Esch's five-year streak was brought to an end with a majority decision defeat by heavyweight Billy Zumbrun in August 2001. The following year, he fought his first ten rounder against 52-year-old former world heavyweight champion Larry Holmes at the Norfolk Scope in Norfolk, Virginia, on July 27. While Holmes won a unanimous decision, Esch was credited with a controversial knockdown in the final round, which was later shown in filmed replays as not being a knockdown, no punch having landed, and it was a slip; and Holmes only reeled against the ropes. This was one of only three fights in a 109-fight career that was scheduled for more than four rounds.

K-1 (2003–2005)

Esch ventured into the sport of kickboxing in 2003 when he was recruited by K-1 and debuted with a first-round knockout of Yusuke Fujimoto at K-1 Beast II 2003 in Saitama, Japan, on June 29, 2003. K-1 was then keen to match him up with Ernesto Hoost, but he declined to take the fight on the advice of a friend who warned him of the Dutchman's kickboxing prowess. He instead faced Mike Bernardo in a non-tournament bout at the K-1 Survival 2003 Japan Grand Prix Final in Yokohama, Japan, on September 21, 2003. He was floored twice with low kicks in the first round before being finished with a high kick in the second.

In his first mixed martial arts bout, Esch took on Genki Sudo in an openweight affair at K-1 PREMIUM 2003 Dynamite!! in Nagoya, Japan, on December 31, 2003. Despite having a 110 kg (240 lb) weight advantage over his foe, Esch was unable to capitalize as Sudo was unwilling to exchange strikes. "The Neo-Samurai" took Esch to the mat with a low, single-leg takedown at the end of round one and attempted a leglock only to be halted by the bell signaling the end of the round, which had been a stalemate up until then. Early in round two, the fighters tumbled to the ground after Sudo attempted a dropkick on Esch, and the Japanese grappling ace took full advantage of the American boxer's lack of grappling skill by securing a heel hook submission at the 0:41 mark.

Returning to the kickboxing ring at K-1 Beast 2004 in Niigata on March 14, 2004, Esch lost a unanimous decision to Hiromi Amada as Amada peppered him with low kicks while Esch did little more than taunt his opponent throughout the match. He was scheduled to fight Bob Sapp soon afterwards, but claims that Sapp's management withdrew their fighter after discovering that Amada had needed hospital treatment after his bout with Esch. Butterbean lost his third consecutive K-1 match at K-1 Beast 2004 in Shizuoka on June 26, 2004, losing to 210.82 cm (6 ft 11.00 in) giant Montanha Silva by unanimous decision.

Competing in the eight-man tournament at the K-1 World Grand Prix 2005 in Hawaii in Honolulu on July 29, 2005, Esch put an end to his losing streak when he scored a third round standing eight count en route to a unanimous decision victory over 150 kg (330 lb) brawler Marcus Royster in the quarterfinals. Despite the win, Esch sustained an injury to his left leg during the fight and could not continue and so Royster was entered back into the tournament in his place.

Professional wrestling (1997, 1999, 2009–2012)

Esch appeared twice in World Wrestling Federation professional wrestling events, competing in boxing matches both times. On December 7, 1997, at the D-Generation X: In Your House pay-per-view event, he defeated former Golden Gloves champion Marc Mero via disqualification in a worked match. 15 months later, Esch defeated WWF Brawl For All champion Bart Gunn in a legitimate shootfight at WrestleMania XV on March 28, 1999, knocking his opponent out in 34 seconds.

In 2009 he returned to professional wrestling on the independent circuit. He defeated Trent Acid for the Pro Wrestling Syndicate Heavyweight title on May 29, 2009, in Garfield, New Jersey. On June 10, 2009, Esch defeated One Man Kru at OmegaCon at the BJCC in Birmingham, Alabama, at a wrestling event for charity. Nearly a year later he dropped to the title to Kevin Matthews on May 9, 2010. Also, he wrestled for Juggalo Championship Wrestling. On April 1, 2011, Esch teamed with Officer Adam Hadder in a tag-team match against One Man Kru and WWE Hall of Famer Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake in a charity wrestling event taped for an episode of Big Law: Deputy Butterbean, a reality show which aired on Investigation Discovery. On March 31, 2012, he defeated Cliff Compton at the event WrestleRama Guyana in Georgetown, Guyana.

Pride Fighting Championships (2006–2007)

Esch before Pride 32 in October 2006

Having lost his MMA debut to Genki Sudo, Esch stuck with the sport and regrouped, going 6–0–1 in appearances in King of the Cage, Gracie Fightfest, and Rumble on the Rock which included a TKO stoppage of Wesley "Cabbage" Correira at Rumble on the Rock 8 in Honolulu on January 20, 2006, in a fight which took place under special rules, ground fighting being limited to fifteen seconds per instance regardless of the situation. He returned to Japan with the Pride Fighting Championships on August 26, 2006, to compete at Pride Bushido 12 in Nagoya against Ikuhisa Minowa, a shoot wrestler known for his willingness to face much larger opponents, to whom he lost via armbar submission at 4:25 of round one.

Esch was set to fight Mark Hunt at the promotion's first North American show, Pride 32, in Las Vegas on October 21, 2006, but the Nevada State Athletic Commission would not allow the match-up as they argued that Hunt's wins over Wanderlei Silva and Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipović gave him an unfair mat advantage. Pride had stated that "visa issues" were preventing Hunt from competing in the bout, but it was later confirmed that Hunt could not compete due to the NSAC's ruling. Pro wrestler Sean O'Haire stepped in as Hunt's replacement and Esch TKO'd him in under thirty seconds.

Departing Pride briefly to compete in Cage Rage, Esch submitted to strikes from Rob Broughton in the second round of their contest at Cage Rage 19 in London, England, on December 9, 2006. He then rebounded with a forty-three second knockout of James Thompson at Cage Rage 20 on February 10, 2007.

Esch returned to Pride for the promotion's last event, Pride 34 in Saitama on April 8, 2007, where he faced Zuluzinho in a bout where both men weighed in at 184.6 kg (407 lb) (although the Brazilian was 20 cm (8 in) taller). Both fighters came out swinging before Zuluzinho scored a takedown. Esch reversed him, landing several hammer shots before finally submitting Zuluzinho with a key lock at 2:35 of the opening round.

Later career (2007–2013)

Esch's next fight was on July 14, 2007, against reigning Cage Rage World Heavyweight Champion Tengiz Tedoradze in a non-title bout at Cage Rage 25, losing via TKO. Global Fighting Championships had scheduled a main event bout between Esch and Ruben Villareal for their inaugural event, but the event was canceled when half the scheduled matchups could not take place due to medical issues (Esch vs. Villareal was the only viable main event). He was then set to fight Jimmy Ambriz as the main event of Xcess Fighting's debut card, but was a no show for the weigh-in citing scheduling conflicts.

Esch made a brief return to K-1 to fight at the K-1 World Grand Prix 2008 in Hawaii on August 9, 2008, rematching Wesley Correira in the quarterfinals and losing via a second-round high kick KO.

Esch lost via first-round KO for the EBF title against Mark Potter at the Syndicate Nightclub in Blackpool, England, on September 14, 2008. This fight has not been recorded on boxrec.com or any other site of the same nature, as Potter was not licensed at the time.

Esch made his independent professional wrestling debut at the Birmingham–Jefferson Civic Center in Birmingham, Alabama, on March 28, 2009, at the ImagiCon horror movie, sci-fi movie, and comic book convention and was victorious against rapper/professional wrestler/film maker/actor Anthony "One Man Kru" Sanners via pinfall after smashing him with a vicious 400 lb elbow drop. Esch won the Pro Wrestling Syndicate Heavyweight Championship on May 29, 2009, after defeating Trent Acid. Esch lost in a first round TKO (submission) to Jeff Kugel on March 6, 2010, in Mount Clemens, Michigan, in an MMA bout for Xtreme Cagefighting Championship 46: Beatdown at the Ballroom 9 in a devastating :40 second pummeling.

Esch lost the belt to Kevin Matthews on May 8, 2010, in White Plains, New York.

In his final kickboxing match at Moosin II in Seoul, South Korea, on July 29, 2009, Esch KO'd Moon-bi Lam forty-six seconds into round one.

On October 3, 2009, Esch lost a four-round split decision to Harry Funmaker whom he earlier beat on two occasions. After the bout he announced his retirement. He seemingly changed his mind, however, and soon returned to competition.

On September 18, 2010, Esch was defeated by Mariusz Pudzianowski by submission due to strikes at KSW XIV in Łódź, Poland. After several exchanges of strikes on the feet, Pudzianowski attacked and took Esch down, proceeding to throw numerous punches from side control in a ground-and-pound attack. Esch, unable to get to his feet, submitted at just 1:15 into the first round.

Esch next took on up-and-coming super heavyweight Deon West at the LFC 43: Wild Thang MMA internet pay-per-view on October 12, 2010. After a heated contest, Deon did not rise for the third round. Butterbean humbled Deon West via TKO at 5:00 of round two.

On April 1, 2011, Esch returned to pro wrestling and teamed with his Walker County Sheriff Deputy partner Adam Hadder to take on Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake and One Man Kru in a tag-team match at the Battle Against Drugs charity benefit which was taped for Esch's reality show Big Law. He appeared in February 2012 at Wrestlerama in Georgetown, Guyana, where on entering the ring he told the crowd Guyana is his second home and was booed off because he mispronounced "Guyana".

Esch defeated Dean Storey at Elite 1 MMA: High Voltage on May 7, 2011, in Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada, to claim the promotions super heavyweight title. He knocked out Storey 24 seconds into the second round. Many people have compared Esch to British warrior "Big" Ben Copley, with similar stature and size. The two were scheduled to meet in a 6-round contest, with Copley ultimately stepping down due to being what he called himself a "bottle job". After this, Esch ultimately retired from competition, stating that a fight with bottle job Copley would bring him out of retirement.

Retirement (2013–present)

In retirement, Esch's health deteriorated. He suffered from intense pain coupled with severely impaired mobility. Even with the assistance of crutches, Esch struggled to walk. The pain necessitated that he attended conventions in a wheelchair.

In 2022, Esch began working with former wrestler and life coach Diamond Dallas Page to improve his health. As a result of his progress with Page's DDP Yoga program, Esch's weight dropped below 300 lbs for the first time in decades. The weight loss enabled Esch to qualify for surgery to repair a semi-fused hip. Since his successful hip surgery in 2022, Esch has openly expressed a desire to return to professional boxing, although none of his proposed matches (including fights with Jake Paul and Mike Tyson) have any official plans to take place. In 2024, DDP Yoga released Butterbean's Comeback - One More Fight, a video montage chronicling Esch's achievements & transformative recovery.

Media appearances

Big Law: Deputy Butterbean

Esch is a reserve deputy sheriff in his hometown of Jasper, Alabama, and starred in the reality television documentary entitled Big Law: Deputy Butterbean, which aired on the Investigation Discovery channel in 2011. He described the genesis of the show:

They came to me wanting to do a reality documentary on my restaurant and I was in the process of closing my restaurant down. I said "If you want something interesting and fun to watch, follow us on our drug busts in the sheriff's department." They agreed people would be interested in this. "They started following us, filming it and documenting us actually making the busts. You arrest somebody and say "Look, if you don't want to go to jail you've got to help us bust a bigger guy." We make a bigger bust from that. The whole goal is to get people on file and lessen the number of criminals on the streets.

Esch hoped the show would help the cause of law enforcement:

I think this show is going to prove that people really care about the communities they lived in. There's going to be more people calling (the police station) saying "Hey, this guy is doing this crime. You should look into it." We want people to step forward and help the police clean up our communities.

The show was not renewed for a second season.

Film

Esch appeared in the film Jackass: The Movie, in a public stunt: an arranged fight with Johnny Knoxville in a department store. After the fight began, Knoxville fell, got up, was asked by Esch to hit him at least once. Knoxville did so, was easily knocked to the floor by Esch, and received several stitches in his head after the encounter (the camera appears to show Knoxville snoring, but Knoxville stated in an interview with Vanity Fair that he was actually trying to swallow his tongue as a result of being knocked out). After waking up, a groggy Knoxville jokingly asked if Esch was okay. Knoxville stated that Esch is actually quite friendly outside of the ring, despite his fearsome ringside demeanor.

Esch also appeared in the film Chairman of the Board as the Museum Security Guard with the "chia hair", a fact that is pointed out on the DVD commentary by the film's star Scott "Carrot Top" Thompson.

Television

Esch appeared on Adult Swim's Squidbillies, where he sang the national anthem, finally beating up a fan for not taking off his hat.

Esch appeared on CMT's Hulk Hogan's Celebrity Championship Wrestling television show, on Team Beefcake.

Esch was referenced on NBC's Parenthood (2010). The episode, which aired on October 5, 2010, was titled "Date Night".

In June 2013, Esch was interviewed in Australia on Fox Sports programme, Monday Nights with Matty Johns.

Esch appeared on TruTV's Friends of the People in a sketch as "Dr. Butterbean", using his sweet science boxing skills as an anesthesiologist. The Season 2 Episode 7 was called "Great White Haters"..

On September 22, 2022, Esch appeared on an episode of Celebrity Family Feud titled "The Cast of Jackass", as part of the Tremaine family, competing against the Knoxville family.

On January 2, 2024, Esch joined the cast of “Moonshiners” on Discovery Channel, helping moonshiner Josh Owens recover after a motorcycle accident.

Radio

On July 16, 2005, Esch fought Dieter of Rover's Morning Glory, in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, in a bout billed as "War on the Shore".

Video games

Esch was featured on the cover of, and was the final boss character in, the EA Sports game Toughman Contest, released in 1995 for the Sega Genesis and Sega 32X. He also appeared as a playable character in all of the EA Sports boxing video games in the Knockout Kings series. In the 2007 PC game The Witcher, the main character can challenge a tavern fistfighter (with a body structure similar to that of Esch) by the name of Butter Bean during the second chapter of the game. Esch is a playable fighter in EA's fifth installment of the Fight Night series Fight Night Champion.

Personal life

Esch is married to Libby Gaskin and has three children: sons Brandon and Caleb, and daughter Grace. Both of his sons used to be mixed martial artists.

In 2018, Esch opened a family-run restaurant in Jasper, Alabama, called Mr. Bean's BBQ.

Having competed at weights of 378 to 425 lbs, Esch revealed he had slimmed down from 515 lbs to 303.8 lbs.

Championships and awards

Boxing

• International Boxing Association
  • IBA World Super Heavyweight (+95.2 kg/210 lb) Championship (One time)
• Rochester Boxing Hall of Fame
  • 2023 Inductee
  • 2023 Perseverance Award
• World Athletic Association
  • WAA World Heavyweight (+90.7 kg/200 lb) Championship (One time)

Mixed martial arts

• Elite-1 MMA
  • Elite-1 MMA Super Heavyweight (+120.2 kg/265 lb) Championship (One time)

Professional wrestling

• Pro Wrestling Syndicate
  • Pro Wrestling Syndicate Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

Professional boxing record

91 fights	77 wins	10 losses
By knockout	58	2
By decision	19	8
Draws	4

Res.	Record	Opponent	Type	Rd., Time	Date	Location	Notes
Loss	77–10–4	Kirk Lawton	TKO	2 (4), 3:00	2013-06-29	Newcastle Entertainment Centre, Newcastle, New South Wales
Loss	77–9–4	Curt Allan	UD	4	2012-01-13	Horseshoe Southern Indiana, Elizabeth, Indiana
Loss	77–8–4	Harry Funmaker	SD	4	2009-10-03	U.S. Cellular Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Win	77–7–4	Joe Siciliano	KO	2 (4), 1:10	2007-03-09	Worcester Palladium, Worcester, Massachusetts
Win	76–7–4	Joaquin Garcia	KO	1 (4), 0:48	2006-12-16	Dow Event Center, Saginaw, Michigan
Win	75–7–4	Ed White	TKO	1 (4), 1:46	2006-09-23	Belterra Casino Resort & Spa, Florence, Indiana
Win	74–7–4	Daniel White	UD	4	2006-03-24	Wing's Stadium, Kalamazoo, Michigan
Loss	73–7–4	Baden Oui	MD	4	2005-11-18	Carrara Sports Complex, Gold Coast, Queensland
Loss	73–6–4	George Linberger	SD	4	2005-10-15	Chaparral Club, Akron, Ohio	For the NABC North American Super Heavyweight Championship.
Loss	73–5–4	Kenny Craven	UD	4	2005-08-20	Capital Indoor Stadium, Beijing
Win	73–4–4	Rick Zufall	KO	3 (4), 2:39	2005-08-09	Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Oceanside, California
Loss	72–4–4	Kenny Craven	MD	4	2005-05-14	Mississippi Coliseum, Jackson, Mississippi
Win	72–3–4	Kenny Craven	TKO	3 (4), 1:23	2005-02-12	Magnolia Center, Laurel, Mississippi
Win	71–3–4	Brian McIntyre	UD	4	2004-11-20	Mid-America Center, Council Bluffs, Iowa
Win	70–3–4	Richie Goosehead	MD	4	2004-09-24	Winnipeg Convention Centre, Winnipeg, Manitoba
Win	69–3–4	Salvador Farnetti	TKO	1 (4), 0:50	2004-07-22	HP Pavilion at San Jose, San Jose, California
Win	68–3–4	Marcelo Aravena	SD	4	2004-05-15	4 Bears Casino & Lodge, New Town, North Dakota
Win	67–3–4	Rodney Phillips	KO	2 (4), 1:49	2004-05-08	Coast Coliseum, Biloxi, Mississippi
Win	66–3–4	Troy Roberts	TKO	1 (4)	2003-06-13	Chinook Winds Casino, Lincoln City, Oregon
Draw	65–3–4	Lewis Gilbert	SD	4	2003-03-28	Alario Center, Westwego, Louisiana
Loss	65–3–3	Larry Holmes	UD	10	2002-07-27	Norfolk Scope, Norfolk, Virginia
Win	65–2–3	Craig Wolfley	KO	4 (4)	2002-02-02	Grand Casino Gulfport, Gulfport, Mississippi
Win	64–2–3	Kevin Tallon	UD	4	2001-12-12	Caesar's Casino, Elizabeth, Indiana
Loss	63–2–3	Billy Zumbrun	MD	4	2001-08-19	Stateline Casino, West Wendover, Nevada
Win	63–1–3	Shane Woollas	TKO	1 (4), 2:38	2001-06-16	Wembley Conference Centre, London
Win	62–1–3	Tyrone Muex	TKO	2 (8), 2:49	2001-04-19	Grand Casino Tunica, Tunica, Mississippi
Draw	61–1–3	Abdul Muhaymin	PTS	4	2000-11-17	Coast Coliseum, Biloxi, Mississippi
Win	61–1–2	Harry Funmaker	UD	4	2000-11-03	Ho-Chunk Casino, Baraboo, Wisconsin
Win	60–1–2	Marcus Rhode	KO	3 (4), 2:06	2000-09-15	Pepsi Center, Denver, Colorado
Win	59–1–2	Dan Kosmicki	TKO	2 (4), 2:40	2000-07-28	Selland Arena, Fresno, California
Win	58–1–2	Kerry Biles	KO	2 (4), 2:52	2000-06-17	Staples Center, Los Angeles, California
Win	57–1–2	Bill Johnson	KO	2 (4), 2:49	2000-05-19	Playboy Mansion, Beverly Hills, California
Win	56–1–2	Dan Kosmicki	TKO	4 (4), 0:52	2000-05-05	Tucson Convention Center, Tucson, Arizona
Win	55–1–2	George Linberger	TKO	1 (4), 0:19	2000-03-04	Mandalay Bay Events Center, Las Vegas, Nevada	Retains the IBA World Super Heavyweight Championship. Later awarded the WAA World Heavyweight Championship.
Win	54–1–2	Kevin Tallon	UD	4	2000-02-17	Coeur d'Alene, Worley, Idaho
Win	53–1–2	Tim Ray	UD	4	1999-12-10	Grand Casino Tunica, Tunica, Mississippi
Win	52–1–2	Allen Smith	TKO	2 (4), 2:16	1999-11-23	Allstate Arena, Rosemont, Illinois
Win	51–1–2	Melvin Lumzy	KO	3 (4), 1:00	1999-11-11	Grand Casino Biloxi, Biloxi, Mississippi
Win	50–1–2	George Chamberlain	TKO	3 (4), 1:25	1999-10-21	Washington Hilton, Washington, D.C.
Win	49–1–2	Kenny Craven	TKO	2 (4), 1:55	1999-09-18	Mandalay Bay Events Center, Las Vegas, Nevada	Retains the IBA World Super Heavyweight Championship.
Draw	48–1–2	Jason Farley	PTS	4	1999-08-06	State Fairgrounds, Columbus, Ohio
Win	48–1–1	Tim Burgoon	KO	2 (4)	1999-07-31	Plaza de Toros, Tijuana	Retains the IBA World Super Heavyweight Championship.
Win	47–1–1	Peter McNeeley	TKO	1 (4), 2:59	1999-06-26	Mandalay Bay Events Center, Las Vegas, Nevada
Win	46–1–1	Russell Chasteen	UD	4	1999-06-11	Texas Motor Speedway, Fort Worth, Texas
Win	45–1–1	Jason Hurley	TKO	2 (4), 2:16	1999-05-27	Gold Strike Tunica, Tunica, Mississippi
Win	44–1–1	Roy Bedwell	UD	4	1999-04-16	Catfish Bend Casino, Burlington, Iowa
Win	43–1–1	Kevin Tallon	TKO	3 (4), 2:50	1999-04-02	Chattanooga Convention Center, Chattanooga, Tennessee
Win	42–1–1	Patrick Graham	TKO	3 (4), 0:46	1999-02-13	Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, Nevada	Retains the IBA World Super Heavyweight Championship.
Win	41–1–1	Troy Roberts	TKO	3 (4)	1998-09-18	Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, Nevada
Win	40–1–1	Tim Pollard	KO	1 (4), 1:37	1998-08-25	Blue Horizon, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Win	39–1–1	Billy Eaton	KO	3 (4), 2:38	1998-03-23	Foxwoods Resort Casino, Ledyard, Connecticut
Win	38–1–1	Warrant Williams	KO	1 (4)	1998-02-28	Cincinnati, Ohio
Win	37–1–1	Harry Funmaker	UD	4	1998-01-16	Bank of America Center, Boise, Idaho	Retains the IBA World Super Heavyweight Championship.
Win	36–1–1	Doug Phillips	PTS	4	Dec 6, 1997	Caesars Atlantic City, Atlantic City, New Jersey
Win	35–1–1	Ken Woods	TKO	4 (4)	1997-10-30	Washington, D.C.
Draw	34–1–1	Billy Eaton	MD	4	1997-09-13	Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, Nevada
Win	34–1	Enrique Ruiz	DQ	4 (4)	1997-08-13	Mountaineer Casino, Racetrack and Resort, Chester, West Virginia
Win	33–1	Scott Lindecker	KO	4 (4), 1:20	1997-07-09	Emerald Queen Casino, Tacoma, Washington
Win	32–1	Jason Farley	TKO	4 (4)	1997-06-15	Grand Casino Biloxi, Biloxi, Mississippi
Win	31–1	Bill Duncan	KO	2 (4)	1997-04-17	Adam's Mark Hotel, Tulsa, Oklahoma
Win	30–1	Ed White	TKO	2 (4), 1:14	1997-04-12	Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, Nevada	Awarded the IBA World Super Heavyweight Championship pre-fight. First successful defense.
Win	29–1	Sean Jegen	TKO	3 (4), 1:33	1997-04-02	Station Casino, Kansas City, Missouri
Win	28–1	Ken Woods	KO	2 (4), 1:29	1997-03-22	Memorial Coliseum, Corpus Christi, Texas
Win	27–1	Nick Phillips	UD	4	1997-02-12	The Theater at Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York
Win	26–1	Curt Allan	TKO	3 (4), 2:56	1997-01-18	Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, Nevada
Win	25–1	Sean Jegen	KO	1 (4), 2:47	1996-12-06	Lawlor Events Center, Reno, Nevada
Win	24–1	William Harris	TKO	4 (4)	1996-07-10	The Beverly Hilton, Beverly Hills, California
Win	23–1	George Clarke	KO	1 (4), 1:54	1996-06-07	Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada
Win	22–1	Jonathan Whitfield	TKO	4 (4), 1:44	1996-05-14	Foxwoods Resort Casino, Ledyard, Connecticut
Win	21–1	Richard Davis	KO	1 (4), 1:10	1996-04-30	San Antonio, Texas
Win	20–1	Jack Ramsey	TKO	1 (4), 1:28	1996-04-22	Prairie Meadows Racetrack, Altoona, Iowa
Win	19–1	James Baker	KO	1 (4), 0:18	1996-03-19	Spruce Goose, Long Beach, California
Win	18–1	Billy McDonald	KO	1 (4), 2:16	1996-03-13	Grand Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California
Win	17–1	Joe Wiggins	TKO	4 (4), 1:03	1996-02-25	Arizona Charlie's, Las Vegas, Nevada
Win	16–1	Tim Ray	TKO	2 (4)	1996-01-25	Casino Magic Bay St. Louis, Bay St. Louis, Mississippi
Loss	15–1	Mitchell Rose	TKO	2 (4), 0:48	1995-12-15	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York
Win	15–0	Louis Monaco	KO	1 (4), 1:58	1995-12-01	Fantasy Springs Casino, Indio, California
Win	14–0	Pat Jackson	TKO	3 (4), 3:00	1995-10-25	Pontchartrain Center, Kenner, Louisiana	Esch accidentally hits and knocks out referee in round 3. Jackson refuses to carry on with the match.
Win	13–0	Kenneth Myers	MD	4	1995-09-29	Buffalo Bill's, Primm, Nevada
Win	12–0	Anthony Hunt	TKO	2 (4)	1995-09-16	Chillicothe, Ohio
Win	11–0	Adam Sutton	PTS	4	1995-09-09	Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada
Win	10–0	Paul Springer	KO	1 (4), 0:47	1995-08-15	Arizona Charlie's, Las Vegas, Nevada
Win	9–0	Doug Norris	KO	2 (4), 1:19	1995-07-28	Casino Magic Bay St. Louis, Bay St. Louis, Mississippi
Win	8–0	Rogelio Ramirez	KO	1 (4)	1995-06-18	Las Cruces, New Mexico
Win	7–0	James Robinson	TKO	2 (4)	1995-04-21	Lansing, Michigan
Win	6–0	Jerry Michelson	KO	1 (4)	1995-04-15	Owensboro, Kentucky
Win	5–0	Alvin Ellis	TKO	1 (4)	1995-03-24	Detroit, Michigan
Win	4–0	Juan Ramon Perez	UD	4	1995-03-11	Tingley Coliseum, Albuquerque, New Mexico
Win	3–0	Ed Barry	PTS	6	1995-03-01	Saginaw, Michigan
Win	2–0	Doug Norris	TKO	4 (4)	1994-11-30	New Orleans, Louisiana
Win	1–0	Tim Daniels	PTS	4	1994-10-15	Birmingham, Alabama	Professional debut.

Kickboxing record

Kickboxing record

3 wins (2 KOs), 4 losses, 0 draws
Date	Result	Opponent	Event	Location	Method	Round	Time	Record
2009-07-29	Win	Moon Bo-Lam	Moosin II	Seoul, South Korea	KO (right hook)	1	0:46	3–4
2008-08-09	Loss	Wesley Correira	K-1 World Grand Prix 2008 in Hawaii, Quarter Finals	Honolulu, Hawaii, USA	KO (left high kick)	2	0:53	2–4
2005-07-29	Win	Marcus Royster	K-1 World Grand Prix 2005 in Hawaii, Quarter Finals	Honolulu, Hawaii, USA	Decision (unanimous)	3	3:00	2–3
2004-06-26	Loss	Montanha Silva	K-1 Beast 2004 in Shizuoka	Shizuoka, Japan	Decision (unanimous)	3	3:00	1–3
2004-03-14	Loss	Hiromi Amada	K-1 Beast 2004 in Niigata	Niigata, Japan	Decision (unanimous)	3	3:00	1–2
2003-09-21	Loss	Mike Bernardo	K-1 Survival 2003 Japan Grand Prix Final	Yokohama, Japan	KO (right high kick)	2	1:01	1–1
2003-06-29	Win	Yusuke Fujimoto	K-1 Beast II 2003	Saitama, Japan	KO (left hook)	1	1:02	1–0
Legend:   Win   Loss   Draw/No contest   Notes

Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown

28 matches	17 wins	10 losses
By knockout	8	7
By submission	9	3
Draws	1

Res.	Record	Opponent	Method	Event	Date	Round	Time	Location	Notes
Loss	17–10–1	Sandy Bowman	TKO (submission to punches)	Prestige Fighting Championship 3	October 21, 2011	1	0:54	Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada
Loss	17–9–1	Eric Barrak	Submission (guillotine choke)	Instinct MMA 1	October 7, 2011	3	2:56	Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Win	17–8–1	Dean Storey	TKO (punches)	Elite-1 MMA: Moncton	May 7, 2011	2	0:20	Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada	Wins the Elite-1 MMA Super Heavyweight Championship.
Win	16–8–1	Deon West	TKO (punches)	LFC 43: Wild Thang	December 10, 2010	2	5:00	Indianapolis, Indiana, United States
Loss	15–8–1	Mariusz Pudzianowski	TKO (submission to punches)	KSW 14: Judgment Day	September 18, 2010	1	1:15	Łódź, Poland
Loss	15–7–1	Jeff Kugel	TKO (submission to punches)	Xtreme Cagefighting Championship 46: Beatdown at the Ballroom 9	March 6, 2010	1	0:40	Mount Clemens, Michigan, United States	For the XCC Super Heavyweight Championship.
Win	15–6–1	Chris Cruit	Submission (rear-naked choke)	Moosin: God of Martial Arts	December 11, 2009	1	1:38	Birmingham, Alabama, United States
Win	14–6–1	Tom Howard	Submission (neck crank)	Extreme Cage Fighting	September 9, 2009	1	1:40	Laredo, Texas, United States
Win	13–6–1	Jefferson Hook	TKO (punches)	Lockdown in Lowell	June 26, 2009	1	?:??	Lowell, Massachusetts, United States
Loss	12–6–1	Pat Smith	TKO (submission to punches)	YAMMA Pit Fighting	April 11, 2008	1	3:17	Atlantic City, New Jersey. United States
Loss	12–5–1	Nick Penner	Submission (kimura)	The Fight Club: First Blood	December 28, 2007	1	2:28	Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Win	12–4–1	Tom Howard	Submission (armlock)	The Final Chapter MMA	December 1, 2007	1	4:47	Jasper, Alabama, United States
Win	11–4–1	Pete Sischo	Submission (americana)	Combat Warfare X	October 13, 2007	3	2:35	United States
Loss	10–4–1	Tengiz Tedoradze	TKO (punches)	Cage Rage 22	July 14, 2007	1	4:26	London, England
Win	10–3–1	Zuluzinho	Submission (americana)	Pride 34	April 8, 2007	1	2:35	Saitama, Japan
Win	9–3–1	James Thompson	KO (punches)	Cage Rage 20	February 10, 2007	1	0:43	London, England
Win	8–3–1	Charles Hodges	KO (punch)	Palace Fighting Championship: King of the Ring	January 18, 2007	1	0:45	Lemoore, California, United States
Loss	7–3–1	Rob Broughton	TKO (submission to punches)	Cage Rage 19	December 9, 2006	2	3:43	London, England
Win	7–2–1	Sean O'Haire	KO (punches)	Pride 32 - The Real Deal	October 21, 2006	1	0:29	Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Loss	6–2–1	Ikuhisa Minowa	Submission (armbar)	Pride - Bushido 12	August 26, 2006	1	4:25	Nagoya, Japan
Win	6–1–1	Rich Weeks	Submission (choke)	Fightfest 5: Korea vs. USA	July 15, 2006	1	1:29	McAllen, Texas, United States
Win	5–1–1	Matt Eckerle	TKO (submission to punches)	Fightfest 4	May 20, 2006	1	0:56	Corpus Christi, Texas, United States
Win	4–1–1	Aaron Aguilera	Submission (rear-naked choke)	Rumble on the Rock 9	April 21, 2006	2	1:15	Honolulu, Hawaii, United States
Win	3–1–1	Leo Sylvest	Submission (rear-naked choke)	Fightfest 2: Global Domination	April 14, 2006	1	0:35	Canton, Ohio, United States
Win	2–1–1	Wesley Correira	TKO (doctor stoppage)	Rumble on the Rock 8	January 20, 2006	2	5:00	Honolulu, Hawaii, United States	Correira broke his arm.
Win	1–1–1	Walley Keenboom	Submission	Fightfest 1: Royce Gracie Fightfest	December 9, 2005	1	2:37	Evansville, Indiana, United States
Draw	0–1–1	Michael Buchkovich	Draw	KOTC 48: Payback	February 25, 2005	2	5:00	Cleveland, Ohio, United States
Loss	0–1	Genki Sudo	Submission (heel hook)	K-1 PREMIUM 2003 Dynamite!!	December 31, 2003	2	0:41	Nagoya, Japan

External links

• Official K-1 profile
• K-1Sport profile
• Official Pride profile
• Professional MMA record for Eric Esch from Sherdog
• Boxing record for Eric Esch from BoxRec (registration required)
• Eric Esch at IMDb