Where have you gone, Alexander Karelin? A nation…turns its lonely eyes…to you.
It’s hackneyed, but the occasion isn’t. Alexander Karelin was the best wrestler ever, and undoubtedly influenced countless MMA fighters. But now, thanks to the International Olympic Committee, it soon will be much harder to follow in those massive ursine footsteps.
As the news of wrestling’s Olympic demise continues to soak into the pores of the MMA community, perhaps a bit of wistful celebration is in order. In that spirit, welcome to a list of the biggest and baddest MMA heavyweights ever to walk the Earth: the Alexander Karelin Edition.
What does big and bad mean, exactly? Well, it means you’re physically sizable. It also means you’re accomplished, scary and perhaps crazy.
It doesn’t necessarily mean only having the best record, though. So if you don’t see your fave here, spare me the “but he won this and that” argument. If he’s not here, he either wasn’t good enough or wasn’t bad enough. Let that soak in.