1. Choi Hong-man
The 7ft 2 inch Hong Man “Techno Goliath” Choi is still fighting for Road FC.
A South Korean kickboxer, he began his kickboxing career at the 2005 K-1 World Grand Prix in Seoul, Korea, a tournament he won. He would continue competing in kickboxing events until 2008, when he enlisted in the Korean military. Unfortunately he failed repeated medical tests mandated by the military. During these tests a brain tumour was discovered. The tumour was located near his pituitary gland, and was similar to other benign tumours discovered on Antonio “Big Foot” Silva, Andre the Giant, and Paul “the Big Show” White from the WWE. These tumours can cause gigantism and eventually lead to death if not removed. Choi has since had the tumour removed.
After discovery of the tumour, Choi would only continue to fight sparingly. He did participate in the “Super Hulk Grand Prix” that Dream held in 2009, when he defeated Jose Canseco in the first round despite not really doing a lot. After losing his next fight, Choi took a break from MMA and kickboxing for over 5 years.
Just last summer he came out of retirement to compete for the ROAD FC promotion, who run events in Japan and China. He has currently advanced to the finals of the promotion’s open weight tournament.
