$500K chimp PPV? MMA fighter claims bizarre fight offer as experts warn of 'catastrophic' injuries
Cole Johnson says a six-figure offer could see him enter a cage with a chimpanzee despite warnings from experts
An amateur MMA fighter has stunned social media after claiming he’s been offered more than $500,000 to fight a chimpanzee in what could become one of the strangest proposed combat events ever.
Cole “Wavy” Johnson , a 1-0 amateur fighter from Minnesota, says the bizarre challenge began as a joke. After posting that he believed he could defeat a chimpanzee in a fight, the claim reportedly attracted millions of views and prompted strangers to contact him with serious financial offers.
Johnson later said he was initially promised $500,000 to travel to an undisclosed country for the contest. That deal allegedly collapsed after he decided the person behind it wasn’t trustworthy. He now claims another group has offered even more money, although he hasn’t revealed the exact figure.
A promotional website has reportedly appeared with a countdown pointing toward September 11, while social media posts have fueled speculation about a potential pay-per-view event. Johnson has also suggested that the animal would be an adult male, unsedated and allowed to retain its teeth and claws.
He has even claimed that people would be standing by with tranquillizers in case the situation became uncontrollable. However, there’s no clear independent confirmation that the proposed contest will actually happen.
Whether the entire story is genuine remains unclear. Johnson himself has acknowledged that his original claim was made as a joke, while reports surrounding the alleged event have yet to establish that it’s a legitimate, sanctioned contest.
Why experts say the matchup could end badly
The biggest concern isn’t if an MMA fighter can technically outclass a chimpanzee, it’s that conventional combat-sports skills may offer little protection against an animal capable of using its teeth, hands and body in completely different ways.
Research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that chimpanzee muscle can produce roughly 1.35 times the maximum dynamic force and power of similarly sized human muscle. The study also found that chimps have a considerably higher proportion of fast-twitch muscle fibers.
Primatologist Kimberley Hockings has also studied chimpanzee attacks on people. Research documenting attacks in Bossou, Guinea, between 1995 and 2009 demonstrated that aggressive encounters between humans and chimpanzees can result in serious injuries.
Hockings has stressed that reducing the danger to a simple “chimps are X times stronger” statistic is misleading. Their powerful jaws, prominent canine teeth, exceptionally strong hands and distinctive aggressive behaviour all contribute to the threat.
That’s why online jokes about Johnson losing fingers or suffering devastating injuries have been accompanied by genuine concern. A chimpanzee isn’t a trained combatant following sporting rules, and it wouldn’t understand concepts such as tapping out or avoiding prohibited techniques.
Beyond the obvious safety concerns, the proposal raises questions about animal welfare and the legality of deliberately provoking a captive wild animal for entertainment.
A six-figure payday might sound tempting, but against a chimpanzee, the potential cost could be permanent and life-changing.
