Arm Wrestling Battle: Sumo Wrestler Akebono vs. Bodybuilder George Farah
November 19th, 2007 by James
Ever wondered about the arm wresting power of sumos and body builders?
A Japanese TV show recently set up an arm wrestling match between professional bodybuilder George “Bulletproof” Farah vs. former sumo grand champion Taro “I Need Money” Akebono.
First, let’s watch their left-handed round:
The first two rounds of the match had Akebono with one victory in a right-handed fight and Farah with a victory in a left-handed fight. It was decided that the final round would be a right-handed bout, prompting Akebono to declare that he would retire if he lost. Given his victory in the first right-handed match, it probably wasn’t a very risky declaration:
The final result: Akebono with a 2-1 victory!
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Belly power.
So real. I can’t help myself but to be convinced that this isn’t another pre-determined gimmick.
body builders muscles are useless for everyday activities so its obvious that the sumo wrestler would win, because anyone with a normally occurring (without growth aid) above average muscle strength would beat a body builder.
Also, Akebono being over a foot taller might mean he has way better arm leverage. Bodybuilders tend to be on the short side – this guy is 5′6″ according to Wikipedia (short limbs look more impressive with a given muscle mass – I believe Arnold was the tallest ever Mr Universe, and though there are people like Lou Ferrigno, most tend to the 5′9″ range, going by Mr Universe etc heights).
And there is a fair bit of debate about their strength as well – while definitely quite strong in certain limited movements (the ones used to bulk up) these are not always translated into ‘everyday’ power. The really strong people generally just look fat (check out Strongmen competitions or even Olympic weightlifting – not a lot of rippling abs there).
Check out Mariusz Pudzianowski, the like 3 time world’s strongest man. He’s ripped, he’s huge, looking like a bodybuilder.
What you say is pure non-sense.. what seen above proves that the sumo only won because he is a mountain of fat and weights so much more than the bodybuilder.. but the other one was really strong to match him!! Compare two of same size and we’ll see! why don’t you try yourself to beat him if you think that muscles are so useless!!
Some people expect bodybuilders to be extremly good in armwrestling. I’m a bodybuilder with some 20″ arms, working out for more than 15 years and I have lost many armwrestling fights even against smaller people. Recently, I lost a fight against a 17 year old boy in my gym who challenged me. He had just started to lift weights and was about 60 pounds lighter. Much more a shame than loosing against a sumo ringer.
you’re the only bodybuilder that was beaten by a 17 year old and skinny guy! I’ve never heard such a thing!
Let me guess – you found this page through a search for “bodybuilding” but are yourself only about 17 and skinny?
Erm… George Farah WON the left-handed arm wrestle so I think this proves bodybuilders are strong!