I'm not saying Pit over Wolverine, but I think it's interesting. Just that the Wolf's size isn't going to be a big factor in the fight.

If there were more dog fighting records on the inet, I think it would be clearly shown that wolves and wolf hybrids have fought dogs plenty of times and it's not an accident that fighting breeds have converged on a somewhat smaller, densely muscled, big head and strong jaw as the design for a fighting dog.

I'm going to go with well trained fighter Pit Bull, but just a reg. Pit Pull then I say wolf.

Also, wolves hunt in packs. Dunno how they are one on one, but interesting question.

Oh really? What exactly do they fight every day? And who do they kill?

I think It certain parts of Nigeria many have them as pets

Normally when confronted with a flock protecting dog, wolves choose not to fight but I'm sure there have been incidents of wolves killing just about every type of working dog out there. However, that's not to say that certain working dogs wouldn't be heavy favorites against a wolf. There are only a small handful of working dogs that would be even money or better against a game pit.

ITT I learned some people think a domesticated dog would lose a fight to a wild ****ing animal that kills **** all the time in order to survive that also happens to be bigger and stronger with more endurance.

Also, what do wolves fight? Each other. Just like bears during mating season. Just because humans haven't trained them to fight doesn't mean they're incapable of fighting.

The hyenae in those pictures belonged to street performers. The plausability of turning a hyena into a good pet is probably at best as good as turning a lion into a good pet. Sure, some people do it..or at least try.

Rabbits fight each other too. What's your point?

Ok in fairy tale land with a UFC octagon with a point-scoring system and 5 minute rounds a wolf could hold its own in this matchup. Wolves fighting one another in a pack is no different than how any other canines act. They fight to create a social hierarchy in their pack. In general they are not fighting to the death. This is very important because in a fight most canines quit at some point. A game pit will never quit. The wolf could be kicking it's ass for 5 or 10 minutes and the pit will continue to fight until there is a clear victor.

BTW, I do recognize that packs of wolves do sometimes cross paths and they kill one another but that doesn't mean they are necessarily adept at fighting and in general wolves try to avoid conflict with other canines.

The hyena man of Harar

The point is that people saying "wolves don't fight" are wrong

The larger point is that the wolf is bigger, faster, and stronger, and as a wild animal would have no problem fighting to the death if it had no avenue of retreat

When wolves fight each other they aren't generally fighting to seriously injure or kill. Haven't you ever read Konrad Lorenz? If not, smh.

I'm calling child protective services on this.

Like most wild animals, wolves have a strong self-preservation instinct. They will most certainly have huge problems fighting to the death. It's mind boggling that you would think otherwise.

Most wild animals fight to establish dominance. When one submits the other lets them slink away. A wolf might be expecting this then be surprised when the pit is still on him.

However once the wolf realizes the pit is actively trying to kill him - he might get a lot tougher. It's just hard to know because no one knows how a wolf fights when in a caged match to death or incapacitation like how pits fight.

Yeah, this and even more. Wolves have very ritualized shows of aggression and submission. Losers of a beta/alpha fight are often driven off, so that makes those fights quite rare (say, compared to Chimps who may mount repeated challenges over years). And, I don't think it's common in wolves for outsiders to come into a pack and fight to take over the way lions take over prides.

Yeah, in the wild that might be true. In an octagon a cornered wild animal has no choice but to fight. Not like an alpha male wolf is gonna submit when he realizes he needs to fight to survive.

True, but this varies by species a lot. Wolves are not fighting to the death often. Generally that would happen if a pack took on a trespasser. Mammals that have and keep harems are the most likely to fight to the death or close to it as the loser can take. Walruses, elephant seals, moose, lions...

Well, those animals and Pit Bulls.

Roosters fight to the death. I'd take an 85-lb rooster over a pit.

It happens all the time in fights (whether it be canine, or human, or other). It's called self-preservation instinct and it's not something a wolf can just turn off. If a wolf gets hurt self preservation will kick in. What you are proposing is akin to old man coffee 3-bet bluffing vs an openers loose range..it sounds great in theory but isn't very realistic.

What makes you think the wolf would realize that submitting wouldn't be the wiser choice?

We keep saying the same things.

I'm still going to argue with you anyway. Old man coffee can learn to 3-bet. Take for example the self-preservation instinct on the 9/11 flights. People submitted because there's an instinct for it and it seemed pretty rational too. Except, on the flight where people fought. They knew they were going to die if they didn't act and overcame the impulse to submit.

If the wolf is losing the fight though, he has no way of knowing that just submitting harder might not be the best choice.

Good example that it's the social structure - having a harem.