Eric Esch, better known as “Butterbean,” is used to knocking people out. In his boxing career he has notched 57 total knockouts over the course of over 12 years. His current boxing record is 76-7-4, and he has another fight coming up in March. Yet, at the same time he continues his reign as “King of The Four Rounders” he is also making a name for himself in Mixed Martial Arts.  

Compiling a 7-3-1 record so far as a super heavyweight, he is working his way around the different circuits after first beginning his MMA career in K-1. Thursday, January 18^th, he will be fighting Sal Farnetti in the first ever Palace Fighting Championships in Lemoore, California at the Tachi Hotel and Casino. He is proud of the fact that he is the first big-named boxer to successfully make the transition into MMA.   

“I’ve been doing it for the last 3 years,” said Esch. “I was in K-1 a year and a half. I’ve been pretty successful in it. It all started when I mentioned to Mark Coleman that I might be interested in going into MMA, and right away I had about 20 promoters calling. I did some fights in Japan with K-1 at first.”  

As for the big difference between MMA and boxing, Esch sees more aggression in his new gig. “These guys come to fight, and in boxing guys come to just survive sometimes,” he said. “MMA guys go to get the finish, and they might get knocked out in the process, but they don’t come to just go through the motions and survive. You don’t really hear about MMA guys happy about getting a decision. One way or another they want to win, but most of the time they’d prefer to knock ‘em out or make ‘em quit.”  

The big man sees his stand up game as his greatest strength. His ability to land solid punches is tough for any opponent to ignore. “I hit real hard,” he exclaimed. “I’m probably the biggest puncher in MMA right now.”  

For that reason, his 350-pound opponent Sal Farnetti, plans to try to take the 370-pound “Butterbean” to the mat.    

“He’s a pretty good fighter, but I think his weakness is once it gets to the floor,” said Farnetti about facing Esch. “I’ll be weighing 350, and grappling is my strength. He’s fought smaller guys up to this point, so I think I have a real good chance to win.” Farnetti predicts he’ll win by submission. “I’m gonna get a chance to prove myself in front of everybody there that I can beat him,” he added.   

Farnetti also brings a background as a boxer. He has a ring record of 3-14-3 and last boxed in April of 2006. He actually fought Esch in a boxing ring back in July of 2004 and lost by first-round TKO. Like Esch, he also considers his striking as one of his strengths. He said his favorite move in the cage is his overhand right. “It’s like a rabbit punch,” he explained.  Still, he is even more confident in his on the floor ground and pound skills.  

Esch is no pushover, though. He can fight on the mat, too. “I’ll be surprising a lot of people,” he promised. “I’ve been training with a lot of people on my ground game, and I’m getting a lot better with that. MMA is boxing, judo, karate, and everything combined. Boxing I’ve got down pat better than anybody, Judo I’m learning, and as far as kicking, K-1 helped me out with that karate aspect of it.”  

Esch is involved with the PRIDE Fighting Championships now, but he maintains he won’t sign an exclusive deal with any organization out there “unless they come up with stupid money.” He prefers to refrain from signing any big contracts and make the rounds fighting in multiple venues under several different fight banners. “That’s one reason I stay so busy,” he said. “A lot of guys under contract can’t fight that many times a year.”  

He doesn’t really have a specific goal in his new sport. He’s just out to keep doing it as long as it continues to be fun for him. “I’m having a good time doing what I’m doing,” Esch said. “The only real goal I have is to win as many fights as I can, I guess. I’m still boxing, too. I do about three or four fights a year.” He enjoys carrying on his career in both arenas despite the fact that it keeps him “too busy” at times.    

He prides himself on being the first actual boxer to ever make it successfully in MMA. “No other crossovers have done it successfully,” he said. “I’m one of the big names in boxing, and I’m as well known as any other fighter out there. I’ve knocked out probably sixty people, and that’s a big accomplishment for me. Babe Ruth hit home runs, and I like to knock people out. It just makes it so much easier.”  

As far as beating Farnetti, Esch is confident, but he won’t break from tradition and make a guess as to what the outcome will be. “I never try to predict fights. I just fight. I’m not Muhammad Ali. I don’t know the round I’ll knock him out,” he said. “I don’t know a lot about him, just that he has a boxing background. It should be an exciting fight, and we’re both standup guys.”  

Coming up for Butterbean will be a Cage Rage event and a Pride fight in Vegas. “My last fight in Vegas I had one of the biggest responses the whole night,” he said.  

Esch’s opponent Sal Farnetti has been involved in MMA for a couple years now. “I just used to do karate, and I just started learning different stuff,” he said.   

He likes everything about MMA and enjoys being able to do “whatever you want, basically. That’s what I like about it. Boxing you can only use your punches, but in this, if you see an opening you can take it.  

He started out as a fighter on the street, and once people saw he had talent he fought in some tournaments. “I’ve been through a lot,” he said. “In street fighting I ain’t really been in any real tough ones, but this will put me up to a test right here. I’m real excited about it.” This will be his first major event in MMA.   

His idol growing up was Mike Tyson. 

It’s too early for Farnetti to set any goals, and like Esch he’s just primarily trying to have fun and see how far he can take it. “I’m just basically going in there to give it my all and see how it goes, see if this is a sport for me,” he said.   

The fights are slated to get under way at 6:30 p.m. and the doors open at 5:30 p.m. at the multi-purpose bingo hall, which is located on the third floor of the Tachi Hotel and Casino.

 FULL FIGHT CARD

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Dave Espinosa (1-0)         vs.          Nelson Ocampo (0-0)
Sacramento, CA                              Sacramento, CA
  Wrestling/BJJ                                 Freestyle Fighting
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Mike Moreno (0-1)       vs.     Francisco Magallon (2-3)
   Parlier, CA                                        Visalia, CA
   Muay Thai                                     Freestyle Fighting
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Mickey Martinez (1-2-1)       vs.        Billy Terry (1-0)
   Lemoore, CA                                     Taft, CA
 Freestyle Fighting                            Freestyle Fighting
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Chris Botelho (2-2)         vs.        Josh McCartney (1-0)
 Hanford, CA                                    Bakersfield, CA
  Muay Thai                                     Freestyle Fighting
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Brian Huerta (0-0)          vs.       Tommy Contreras (0-0)
 Hanford, CA                                       Taft, CA
  Muay Thai                                   Freestyle Fighting
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Ralph Lopez (1-0)         vs.       Shahob Nasbaradi (0-1)
 Clovis, CA                                        Fresno, CA
  Wrestling                                      Freestyle Fighting
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Rafael Del Real (3-4)      vs.       Rolando Torres (2-2)
    Tulare, CA                                     Madera, CA
Freestyle Fighting                            Freestyle Fighting
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Shawn Bias (8-3)           vs.          Brandon Jinnies (1-0)
    Oroville, Ca                                    Oakland, CA
Freestyle Fighting                          Freestyle Fighting
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  Kenn Ento (6-1)           vs.          Roy Arriola (1-1)
 Lemoore, CA                                  Tulare, CA
Freestyle Fighting                        Freestyle Fighting
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Poppies Martinez (9-2)        vs.      Josh Gardner (4-7)
  “Tachi Kid”
    Lemoore, CA                              Bakersfield, CA
Freestyle Fighting                          Freestyle Fighting
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   Eric Esch  (7-3-1)          vs.         Lil’ Sal Farnetti (0-0) 
“Butterbean”
Birmingham, AL                              Ensenada, Mexico
      Boxing                                                Boxing
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