Ever since medieval times, there have always been activities that involved physical altercations between two or more people. Centuries ago, there were gladiator pits and fights where people fought with fists or weapons for fun.
Over the years, the concept of these events has changed and become more civilized. The UFC is an example of a sport that resulted from the evolution of ancient fighting cultures. In the UFC, different people are pitted together in a ring, and height is usually an advantage. Let’s look at some of the tallest UFC fighter.
Some of the Tallest UFC Fighters
We’ll show you some of the tallest fighters that have been a part of or are still in the UFC. We’ll be starting from the shortest to the tallest.
1. Sean McCorkle
The first on the list is Sean McCorkle, with an impressive 6 feet and 7 inches in height, making him one of the tallest UFC players in the competition.
McCorkle was first recognized from his first UFC match in September 2010, when he fought against Mark Hunt, a player who already had some experience. To the audience’s surprise, McCorkle came out victorious in that match.
McCorkle won in 67 seconds after he successfully got Hunt’s arm in a lock, and Hunt had to tap out and accept defeat. However, since McCorkle’s victory against Mark, he had tough luck with his other matches.
McCorkle’s next fight was against Stefan Struve, and he had a lot to say about the fight on Twitter right until they got into the ring. Unfortunately, Struve was the better fighter and beat McCorkle in that match.
After this defeat, things didn’t get any better for McCorkle, and he had to face Christian Morecraft in his next game. However, the same thing happened again, and Morecraft handed McCorkle a platter of defeat. This was also the last match McCorkle had in the UFC because he was withdrawn.
2. Alexander Volkov
We have another fighter that falls into the same height range as Sean McCorkle. Alexander Volkov is a UFC fighter that stands at 6 feet and 7 inches.
Volkov is a veteran who already had fighting experience in other competitions before coming to the UFC. Volkov fought in the M-1 global competition and won the heavyweight champion title. He also fought in the Bellator competition and held the heavyweight champion title.
Volkov has since had an impressive record in the UFC. He has recorded 6 wins against Stefan Struve, Roy Nelson, Fabricio Werdum, Greg Hardy, Timothy Johnson, and Walt Harris. However, the big fighter has also suffered two losses in fights against Derrick Lewis and Curtis Blaydes.
Since then, Volkov has also fought more players, including Brad Imes, Travis Browne, John Hess, Daniel Spitz, and more.
3. Paul Varelans
Paul Varelans is a player who is even taller than the 6 feet and 7 inches giants that we already discussed. Paul Varelens is no longer active in the UFC, but he remains one of the tallest fighters to have gone through the sport.
Paul Varelans was active in the UFC from 1995 to 1998, and he weighed about 300 pounds. He had a record height of 6 feet and 8 inches.
When Varelans was still in the UFC, he was called the “polar bear,” a fitting nickname for the man with his height and size. Before Varelans joined the UFC, he played other sports like boxing and football. He later joined the UFC in 1995 and performed exceptionally throughout his career.
Varelans first appeared in the UFC 6, where he made a stunning impression after getting to the semi-finals as a beginner. He also participated in the UFC 7, where he got to the final stage. He also took part in the UFC 8 and got to the semi-finals.
4. Tim Sylvia
Tim Sylvia is now retired, but he actively fought from 2001 to 2012. Sylvia weighed 265 pounds, and he was 6 feet and 8 inches in height!
Sylvia was a dangerous player in his prime, and he had a reach of 80 inches. He had his first match in 2001 when he fought in the UFC, and he recorded 13 wins at a stretch. Out of the 13 wins, 10 of them were from knockouts.
Sylvia later joined the UFC in 2002, and he later claimed his victory in the UFC 41. Sylvia had to defeat Ricco Rodriguez, one of the top fighters back then. After getting his title as the heavyweight champion, Sylvia had to defend that title in the UFC 44, where he did win against his contender, Gan McGee.
Sylvia fought 42 matches in his career, where he won 31 and drew one. Also, out of the 31 wins, 22 were instant knockouts!
5. Emmanuel Yarborough
Emmanuel Yarborough is another UFC fighter that broke the reasoning of spectators. Yarborough was a major sumo wrestler before he dabbled into the world of mixed martial arts. You can see from his build that he was more suited for sumo wrestling.
Yarborough weighed about 704 pounds, and he had an impressive height of 6 feet and 8 inches. Before coming to the UFC, he already made a name for himself in sumo wrestling, and he had silver medals from the sumo world championships in 1992 and 1994. He also participated in the 1993 championship and won a bronze medal.
Sadly, Yarborough passed away in 2015 from a heart attack.
6. Dan Christison
Dan Christison is another giant that came simultaneously with Tim Sylvia, and he was actively fighting from 2001 to 2010. Christison was 6 feet and 8 inches tall, and he weighed 265 pounds.
Christison was called “the Sandman,” and he fought in different competitions apart from the UFC during his time. Christison fought in the WEC IFL, and he had 27 pro games. Out of his 27 fights, he won 20, with 8 knockouts and 12 submissions.
Christison was versed in the art of Chinese martial arts and also knew Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. All these techniques were used in his UFC fighting.
7. Wes Sims
Like Dan Christison and Tim Sylvia, Wes Sims was also active from 2001 until 2013. Sims was even more imposing than the other UFC fighters we’ve discussed. He weighed 260 pounds and had a dominating height of 6 feet and 10 inches!
Before Sims had anything to do with mixed martial arts, he was first into basketball. Sims played basketball for his high school, Amanda-Clearcreek High; however, he left after a year to branch into the world of wrestling.
Sims was later taken in by Mark Coleman, one of UFC’s legends, and he was trained to take part in the UFC. At the end of Sims’ career, he recorded 42 fights, and he won 24 of these matches. Out of the 24 matches, 13 were from knockouts, while the rest were submissions.
8. Gan McGee
Gan McGee is another fighter whose height always leaves the audience in awe. During the time that McGee was active, from 1999 to 2009, hardly anybody could match his height. McGee had a recorded height of 6 feet and 10 inches, and he also weighed 260 pounds.
McGee showed a passion for wrestling and fighting from a young age, and he quickly took the spotlight in Ukiah High school. After high school, he made a name for himself at the University of Iowa and later in the California Polytechnic State University.
McGee put up a spectacular performance in the MMA, where he had 13 wins out of 18 fights. In 2003, McGee had the title of heavyweight champion within his grasp, but it was taken away by Tim Sylvia.
9. Semmy Schilt
Semmy Schilt is even more imposing than McGee, and he boasts a height of 6 feet and 11 inches. There is hardly anybody as tall as Schilt in the UFC, and he was popularly called “Hightower.” Schilt weighed 256 pounds, and he fought from 1996 to 2013.
Schilt came from a family of martial artists, as both of his parents were experts in Kyokushin Kaikan. It wasn’t long before Schilt also started training in the martial arts and, at the age of 18, he was already a black belt in the martial art of Ashihara Kaikan.
Armed with years of training, Schilt went ahead to make a name for himself in the K-1 world grand Prix Championship, which he won three consecutive times. Schilt’s record showed a total of 50 fights, where he won 43 of those fights!
10. Stefan Struve
Stefan Struve has to be the tallest UFC fighter we’ve come across. This man has a record height of 7 feet and weighs 265 pounds. He started fighting in 2005, but he had to retire in 2021 due to heart issues.
Conclusion
The UFC is a mixed martial art event, and all forms of fighting techniques can be seen from the event.
In the UFC, height is an important factor because being taller gives you a certain degree of advantage. If you want to know more about tall people, feel free to keep exploring our site!