5 Things You Might Not Know About Kevin Randleman

Kevin Randleman left behind a complicated legacy when he died at the age of 45 in 2016, his mixed martial arts run wrought by both achievement and controversy.

“The Monster” finished with a 17-16 record that included memorable encounters with a number of all-time greats, from Maurice Smith and Chuck Liddell to Quinton Jackson, Kazushi Sakuraba and Fedor Emelianenko. Randleman was the fifth man to capture the undisputed Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight title and won 14 of his first 19 bouts before his career spiraled out of control due to a series of injuries, inconsistent performances, a freak backstage accident and a highly publicized drug test failure. Nevertheless, the Sandusky, Ohio, native made a lasting impact on the sport.

In advance of the six-year anniversary of Randleman’s death, here are five things you might not know about him:

1. He stood out among giants.

Randleman was a three-sport star in high school but earned a scholarship to wrestle at Ohio State University. There, he was a three-time NCAA All-American and Big Ten Conference champion for the Buckeyes and became the first wrestler in school history to win back-to-back national titles (1992-93). Randleman compiled a 108-7-3 record at Ohio State, where his .928 career winning percentage still ranks fifth on the school’s all-time list. He also established the school record for the fastest fall—eight seconds—in 1992. Randleman was enshrined in the Ohio State Hall of Fame in 2004.

2. Harsh conditions suited him.

“The Monster” competed in four tournaments—three of them on foreign soil—to kick off his mixed martial arts career: Universal Vale Tudo 4, Universal Vale Tudo 6, Brazil Open ’97 and the UFC’s Road to the Heavyweight Title. Randleman won the UVTF 4 competition and reached the finals of the other three before being eliminated. Carlos Barreto, Tom Erikson and Bas Rutten were responsible for his losses.

3. He reached the summit.

Randleman captured the vacant Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight crown with a five-round unanimous verdict over Pete Williams at UFC 23 on Nov. 19, 1999. He completed six takedowns against Williams and piled up more than 17 minutes of control time at Tokyo Bay NK Hall in Japan. Randleman retained the title with a decision over Pedro Rizzo some seven months later, than surrendered it in a technical knockout loss to Randy Couture at UFC 28. His reign covered 364 days.

4. He was always a threat.

The Pride Fighting Championships veteran won just three of his final 11 fights. However, Randleman sprang what was at the time one of the biggest upsets in the sport’s history during that forgettable stretch, as he knocked out Mirko Filipovic at Pride Total Elimination 2004. It marked the first time that “Cro Cop” had ever been finished by strikes.

5. Immortality added the final piece to his resume.

Randleman was inducted into the pioneer wing of the UFC Hall of Fame on Sept. 24, 2021. He was the fourth member—and first competitor—to be enshrined posthumously, joining Tapout founder Charles “Mask” Lewis, former UFC commissioner Jeff Blatnick and television producer Bruce Connal.