Aleksandr Karelin - Greatest Wrestler of All Time

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JTeamRenzo

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Most kids probably think that Brock Lesnar is the baddest wrestler of all time. These NCAA wrestlers in the UFC have got nothing on international wrestlers. Especially this man. If you haven't heard of Aleksandr Karelin...take notes...the most intimidating and elite level grappler in history.

"Karelin went undefeated in international competition (spanning from 1987 to 2000). After going 13 years undefeated in international competition and six years without giving up a point."

Alexander "The Experiment" Karelin - YouTube

Watching his highlights make me smile (and also want to start power lifting so I can throw people like that). I can't even tell if it's amazing technique or just pure power.
 
I'd sweep him to mount and cross choke his ass!! ;-)
 
The dude was beast but when a pudgy American came along and stole his thunder it was a surreal day.
 
JTeamRenzo said:
Who ended up on the Biggest Loser, +1 point Karelin
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Who lost his toes in a snow mobile accident. And who is eying a return to Olympic wrestling. But it doesn't take away from Karelin being a beast just that anyone can be beaten.
 
I saw the match where Karelin lost, and it seemed like a technicality. Karelin had his arms around his opponent and his hands clinched together, then let his hands go briefly, then reclinched them again. That gave his opponent a point, and eventually the match. It's not like he was thrown, outwrestled, etc. I'm not taking anything away from the guy that won, so please don't take it that way, he did a phenomenal job just to neutralize Karelin for the match.
 
stl_81_99 said:
I saw the match where Karelin lost, and it seemed like a technicality. Karelin had his arms around his opponent and his hands clinched together, then let his hands go briefly, then reclinched them again. That gave his opponent a point, and eventually the match. It's not like he was thrown, outwrestled, etc. I'm not taking anything away from the guy that won, so please don't take it that way, he did a phenomenal job just to neutralize Karelin for the match.
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Everyone knows it was a technicality on a recent rule change. the very fact Gardner was still able to hold off Karelin to a stalemate for the remainder of the match was a feat in itself. Karelin had made a career ragdolling guys that would make Lesnar look like a member of the lolipop guild.
 
Darkslide632 said:
A challenger appears...

LEGENDS OF THE MAT

Robin Reed - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Wrestling legends

Aleksandre Kareline (Greco): 13 World/Oympic medals


Bruce Baumgartner (Freestyle): 13 World/Olympic medals

Valentin Jordanov (Freestyle): 12 World/Olympic medals
Alexander Medved (Freestyle): 12 World/Olympic medals
Makharbek Chadarzev (Freestyle): 10 World/Olympic medals
Sergey Beloglazov (Freestyle): 10 World/Olympic medals
Arsen Fadzayev (Freestyle): 9 World/Olympic medals
Arman Nazarian (Greco): 9 World/Olympic medals
Imre Polyak (Greco): 9 World/Olympic medals
 
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Yep, this is the grappling forum. We're all well-acquainted with Karelin.
 
I've never had the sense that Greco is quite as competitive as freestyle though. Particularly in the HW division. As with most combat sports, because there are statistically fewer competitors in the very highest and lowest weight divisions, they are statistically easier to win in.

This is all to say that I think there's a very good argument that the top freestyle guys ever are probably the best in terms of their talent.

Also, generally speaking it's nonsense to say that NCAA D1 champs have nothing on international wrestling. Even though it's a different system of wrestling than freestyle, the top NCAA guys often cross over and compete at the highest levels. Rulon Gardner, of course, being a GR example taking gold over Karelin, but more recent examples being Cejudo taking gold at the 2008 olympics, where the US took 1 gold and 2 bronzes. The US is far from being the best wrestling nation, but many NCAA guys succeed in switching styles and competing at the international freestyle. We take home a lot of international medals ... I think 6th on the total world championship list. It's not like they are some clowns who just get tooled by international competitors, particularly when you consider they are switching to a rather different and very technical new ruleset.
 
Dan-Gable.jpg
 
Zankou said:
I've never had the sense that Greco is quite as competitive as freestyle though. Particularly in the HW division. As with most combat sports, because there are statistically fewer competitors in the very highest and lowest weight divisions, they are statistically easier to win in.

This is all to say that I think there's a very good argument that the top freestyle guys ever are probably the best in terms of their talent.
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Greco on the world stage is arguably more competitive than freestyle.
 
That's quite possible, I had the sense it was more of a specialty guys move to out of freestyle, but it's interesting to know if that's true.
 
Zankou said:
That's quite possible, I had the sense it was more of a specialty guys move to out of freestyle, but it's interesting to know if that's true.
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That is primarily an American thing. Internationally the switch to Greco is normally done at a younger age especially in the former eastern blocks where talent was more readily identified.
 
Tonycpa said:
Wrestling legends

Aleksandre Kareline (Greco): 13 World/Oympic medals


Bruce Baumgartner (Freestyle): 13 World/Olympic medals

Valentin Jordanov (Freestyle): 12 World/Olympic medals
Alexander Medved (Freestyle): 12 World/Olympic medals
Makharbek Chadarzev (Freestyle): 10 World/Olympic medals
Sergey Beloglazov (Freestyle): 10 World/Olympic medals
Arsen Fadzayev (Freestyle): 9 World/Olympic medals
Arman Nazarian (Greco): 9 World/Olympic medals
Imre Polyak (Greco): 9 World/Olympic medals
Click to expand...


Sorry, I'm not of the opinion that the number of Olympic medals automatically qualifies someone as being the best in the world. They are the best of those who showed up at the Olympics that many times. Reed retired after winning his gold.

"Reed weighed only 135 lbs., but at the Paris Olympics he won a bet when he pinned Harry Steel, the American heavyweight gold medalist, five times within 15 minutes."

How many people could go up 8(?) weight classes and pull something like that off? Reed won championships in 4 weight classes at the Pacific Northwest Olympic trials and retired, apparently, having never lost a single match to anyone. Ever.

I don't know, could Karelin have hung with Olympic gold medalists 40% bigger and stronger than him? I don't think he could have.
 
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