NPR notes that the “World” Sumo Champ Seeks to Slim Down:
Champion sumo wrestler Emanuel “Tiny” Yarbrough hopes to qualify for the Olympic judo team next year. So he’s gone on a diet. The 6-foot-8 athlete’s goal is to drop 200 pounds, from 752 to a fighting 550.
Old-schhool MMA fans will remember Manny’s quick loss to Keith Hackney in UFC 3.
The “World” Sumo Championship is an amateur competition that excludes all the “real” sumo wrestlers from Japan.
Interestingly, he couldn’t compete in wrestling, even at his goal weight, because the wrestling weight classes don’t include an open-ended super heavyweight class; the max weight is 120 kg (265 pounds).