During his recovery from a second hip replacement surgery, legendary Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu coach John Danaher has weighed in on one of the internet’s most divisive hypothetical battles – could 100 humans defeat a silverback gorilla in unarmed combat?
“Well homies…I’m recuperating after hip replacement operation staring at the walls so that means it’s time to address the most serious discussion of the interwebs that so many of you have asked me to discuss,” Danaher wrote on social media.
The renowned grappling strategist, who has coached champions like Gordon Ryan, approached the viral debate with his characteristic analytical depth, exploring tactical considerations that reveal broader principles of combat.
“The interesting element in the question is actually much deeper than the lighthearted discussions abounding in social media portray. It is really about how one deduces winning tactics against challenging opponents – a subject of interest to all,” Danaher explained.
Danaher assessed the gorilla’s capabilities with scientific precision. “A male can be up to 450 pounds and extremely strong (though it’s actually pretty difficult to really measure their strength one usually hears reports of gorillas being around ten times the strength of humans but it’s hard to know if this is accurate or not as there is no reliable testing method for their maximum strength),” he noted.
He observed that despite their fearsome appearance, gorillas primarily use clubbing and grappling in dominance displays rather than fatal attacks. “They don’t seem to have a drive to kill as smaller primates like chimpanzees and humans do, but rather look to prove a point and then stop.”
For humans to prevail, Danaher emphasized the importance of team composition, suggesting a strategic mix of elite wrestlers, judo practitioners, jiu-jitsu grapplers, and striking specialists. He particularly recommended “strikers who specialize in the ability to deliver flying kicks that can deliver a forceful blow without committing to extended contact with the gorilla.”
The tactical approach Danaher outlined hinges on human endurance as our evolutionary advantage. “We may be weak, we may be brittle, we may be slow, we may be thin-skinned, but we can go all day every day,” he explained. “The gorilla’s greatest strength – massive muscle growth unimpeded by myostatin – comes at a price – a small gas tank.”
His battle plan involves a mobile encirclement with rotating shifts of fresh combatants, hit-and-run tactics, and the willingness to sacrifice team members for victory. As the gorilla fatigues, grapplers would systematically take control.
“As minutes become hours the humans confidence will grow and the grapplers will take over from the kickers as it becomes progressively safer to grapple,” Danaher wrote.
For the finishing sequence, Danaher dismissed conventional striking as ineffective and identified improvised strangulation as the most viable end game. “They could easily fashion their pants or jacket sleeves into a noose and use that to strangle the exhausted gorilla and thus win an unexpected victory against a mighty enemy.”
Prior to this comprehensive analysis, Danaher had briefly discussed the scenario with his star pupil Gordon Ryan. When asked how many “Gordon Ryans” it would take to defeat a silverback, Danaher estimated “30-40 easy to strangle,” emphasizing that beating such a powerful opponent to death would be nearly impossible for unarmed humans.
Danaher concludes his analysis with a reflection on human potential: “We humans are weak and vulnerable as unarmed individuals, but working as a trained group, motivated to the point where we see the greater good of the group as more important than our own welfare, using our collective intelligence to figure out sound tactics based on considerations of our own strengths and an opponent’s weaknesses, we become much more formidable.”
This philosophical discussion comes as Danaher faces significant health challenges. According to recent reports, the coach underwent his second hip replacement surgery and faces a knee replacement in the future. He recently stated, “I will be out of action for a while but I believe I can still be a help conceptually until I can get active again.”
Meanwhile, his team is undergoing transitions, with Gordon Ryan reportedly considering retirement from competition due to illness, and Nicholas Meregali recovering from shoulder surgery while younger athletes Helena Crevar and Luke Griffith continue to represent New Wave Jiu-Jitsu in competition.
