ESPN is doing a fan contest to determine the greatest athlete of all time.

This week, they are letting fans vote on one of their categories, the Greatest Combat athlete of all time. 

Two Olympic wrestlers are included on the ballot, U.S. freestyle legend Dan Gable and Russian Greco-Roman legend Alexander Karelin.

The other three candidates are Mixed Martial Arts athletes, Jon “Bones” Jones, Anderson Silva and Royce Gracie. (Please note that Jon Jones was a talented wrestler before he turned his efforts to MMA).

Note: Fans can also provide a write-in candidate.

ESPN EXPLANATION OF COMBAT ATHLETE VOTE
Sure, hitting a 95 mph fastball is tough. So is hitting a 3-pointer with one second left and two hands in your face. Sports are full of challenges that would leave us mere mortals looking silly. But when you start talking about standing on a mat or in an octagon with another giant human being who wants nothing more than to knock you out or make you beg for the match to be over, it's another story. Check out the credentials of these wrestlers and mixed martial arts masters and ask yourself: Which is the best athlete of the bunch?

ESPN PROFILE ON DAN GABLE
Dan Gable
118-1 collegiate record (won first 117 matches)
Won 1972 Olympic gold without conceding a point
Went 64-0 with 25 pins in high school
Won the 1970 AAU title, 1971 Pan-American Games gold medal and 1971 world championship

The winner of the Combat Athlete vote will advance into a bracket of 16 athletes who ESPN have placed into a competition bracket. The Combat Athlete will face swimmer Michael Phelps (selected top Olympic athlete) in the first round of the Greatest Athlete of All-Time competition.

Starting on Sunday, Feb. 17, there will be daily features on ESPN concerning the matchups in the bracket. 

Let’s get American wrestler Dan Gable in the field… VOTE TODAY!!!

Vote for ESPN Greatest Combat Athlete of All Time