Certain New Jerseyans think they could fight a bear

I’m used to reading interesting surveys about people's opinions in New Jersey (favorite Halloween candy, favorite Christmas movie, best fast food chain, etc), but nothing could have prepared me for animal fights.

A study was performed by Action Network, asking thousands of MMA fans which animals they would feel confident in defeating in a fight to the death.

For me, I’m not even sure if I could defeat a mouse, but a shocking number of New Jerseyans actually believe they could do battle with a bear as well as some other crazy animals.

Here’s how they got their results:

The research was commissioned by the Action Network and carried out online by Research Without Barriers (RWB). The survey was conducted between Sept.13-Sept. 19, 2024, and the sample comprised 2,118 USA UFC/MMA fans.

New Jerseyans think they could beat these animals in a fight.

Think you could win a battle against a moose? 4.5% of New Jerseyans who were surveyed do. You have to admire their confidence.

6.8% of respondents said they would confidently match up against an alligator and win.

(Here’s how brave I am - and this is 100% true - just reading that stat gave me a nightmare about an alligator invasion. So obviously I would not be watching that battle.)

How about the 9.1% who think they’d be able to take on a coyote? I think they’ve seen one too many Road Runner cartoons.

This brings us to “da bears,” 11.4% of New Jerseyans who were surveyed are confident in their bear-fighting abilities.

That’s one in nine!

Of those surveyed by Action Network, those in the Garden State were most confident that they could fight and win against a cat. 50% of respondents think they would be the champion.

If I had to guess, though, the fighters would draw the line at these animals… at least, I hope they would.

The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5's Kylie Moore. Any opinions expressed are Kylie's own. You can follow Kylie on Instagram.
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