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It's widely accepted that Karelin is the best wrestler in history. The guy was just so far beyond everyone else, it's almost unimaginable. He was a huge hulking behemoth monster which all other wrestlers not only feared, but were outright terrified of. He definitely had the "Mike Tyson" aura about him in wrestling. 887 wins. 2 losses (both by a single point, for breaking the rules). Has never been pinned. Has never been dominated. Countless world championships and gold medals.
Rickson is widely regarded as the GOAT of BJJ. Basically from brown belt on the dude was totally untouchable. Black belt on, forget it. The guy was just so far beyond everyone else he made other black belts look like nothing by comparison. Over 400 wins. No losses (unless you count the "throw" from Tripp as a loss). He definitely had the "Mike Tyson" aura about him in BJJ. Has never been submitted. Has never been dominated.
Karelin - 6'3" / 285lbs / 887-2
Rickson - 5'10" / 185lbs / 410-0
Say you took both men at the peak of their powers, in their primes, and they fought in a PRIDE openweight fight with unlimited rounds, no judges, and 5 minute breaks between each round... who wins? Can Rickson overcome Karelin's massive size and strength advantage? Can he overcome being absolutely ragdolled? What about Karelin once it hits the ground? Can he keep himself out of Rickson's submissions? Who gets tired first? Can Rickson pin Karelin? Can Karelin tap Rickson?
Would it make any difference if Karelin showed up to a Gracie gym in Brazil and demanded to take the Gracie Challenge against Rickson?
We'll say both men are WELL aware of the rules going in, so there are no excuses. Win via KO, TKO, or Submission only.
WHO WINS?
Rickson is widely regarded as the GOAT of BJJ. Basically from brown belt on the dude was totally untouchable. Black belt on, forget it. The guy was just so far beyond everyone else he made other black belts look like nothing by comparison. Over 400 wins. No losses (unless you count the "throw" from Tripp as a loss). He definitely had the "Mike Tyson" aura about him in BJJ. Has never been submitted. Has never been dominated.
Karelin - 6'3" / 285lbs / 887-2
Rickson - 5'10" / 185lbs / 410-0
Say you took both men at the peak of their powers, in their primes, and they fought in a PRIDE openweight fight with unlimited rounds, no judges, and 5 minute breaks between each round... who wins? Can Rickson overcome Karelin's massive size and strength advantage? Can he overcome being absolutely ragdolled? What about Karelin once it hits the ground? Can he keep himself out of Rickson's submissions? Who gets tired first? Can Rickson pin Karelin? Can Karelin tap Rickson?
Would it make any difference if Karelin showed up to a Gracie gym in Brazil and demanded to take the Gracie Challenge against Rickson?
We'll say both men are WELL aware of the rules going in, so there are no excuses. Win via KO, TKO, or Submission only.
WHO WINS?