Mauro Ranallo talks Kevin Randleman, Fedor Emelianenko and the 'Randleplex'

Mauro Ranallo

The death of former UFC heavyweight champion and PRIDE superstar Kevin Randleman shocked many in the MMA community. Former PRIDE commentator Mauro Ranallo was one those stunned at his passing, especially because he had seen Randleman’s shocking athleticism up close.

Ranallo, a veteran MMA broadcaster who is now a commentator for WWE, was ringside for two of Randleman’s most memorable moments. In the opening round of the 2004 PRIDE Heavyweight Grand Prix, Randleman scored a shocking knockout of heavily favored Mirko Filipovic. He followed that with one of the scariest suplexes in MMA history, dropping tournament favorite Fedor Emelianenko on his head before ultimately being submitted:

“For me, Kevin Randleman will always represent some of my most memorable calls back-to-back,” Ranallo told MMAjunkie Radio. “The knockout of Mirko ‘Cro Cop’ in the heavyweight tournament. What a reward, right? You knock off one of the three guys – we called it the ‘Holy Trinity,’ or ‘Unholy Trinity’ back then because the way they promoted that tournament was Fedor, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Mirko ‘Cro Cop.’ And here’s Randleman, who knocks out the knockout artist in emphatic fashion, and what does he get for a reward? Fedor Emelianenko.

“And he does the ‘Randleplex.’ There’s a picture out there where you can see both of them in midair going straight down. The fact that Fedor didn’t break his neck or even worse and then came back a minute later to submit Randleman just shows you what kind of fighter Fedor was.”

Kevin Randleman

Randleman was the “Wrestler of the Century” at Ohio State University and was known in MMA circles for his raw and explosive athleticism. A solid wall of muscle, Randleman would leap into the air repeatedly before his fights, generating height that seemed impossible for someone of his frame.

Ranallo saw that leaping ability put into practice not only in MMA, but also when participating in the world of professional wrestling.

Randleman competed for multiple Japanese wrestling promotions, including Wrestle-1, Pro Wrestling Zero-One and Hustle. In Hustle, a promotion featuring comedy wrestling, Randleman competed at times as a masked superhero named, fittingly, “Randleman.”

“Was there any more high-caliber athlete than Kevin Randleman in MMA?” Ranallo asked. “The greatest wrestler in Ohio State University history. He did that pro wrestling show we did, the Hustle show, which was days after the (PRIDE) Shockwave 2003. He was on the apron – I know B.J. Penn has done this in pools and a lot of guys I’m sure can do this – but to see Kevin Randleman, the compact muscleman that he was, jump over the top rope in one vertical leap from a standing position. I’m like, ‘This guy’s got spring in his legs.’ If it were not for the serious car accident, the dangerous staph infection and other issues, he would have been one of the best ever because he had it all.”

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