In late April, X users sparked a rumble over a simple question — who wins in a fight? One gorilla or 100 men?

Now a viral phenomenon, users across the internet are divided on the debate. Influencers such as Mr. Beast and conservationists like Robert Irwin have all weighed in as their videos rack up millions of views.

With such a pressing issue, there’s only one place to turn to for answers. University of Maryland students gave their thoughts on the battle and chose their champion. 

The winner? For some students, the gorilla wipes the floor.

Sophomore marketing and operations management and business analytics major Kiley Jensen wanted to remind the world of the size of the average gorilla’s arms and teeth compared to the average man’s. 

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“I think 100% the men are gonna have their arms ripped off by the gorilla,” Jensen said. “[They’re] not even going to stand a chance unless they have weapons, which is assumed that they don’t, and in today’s world, men don’t even know how to hunt.”

Karan Jain, a junior computer science major, also thought the gorilla’s strength easily outmatched a man’s. He said he envisioned the gorilla devastating the men with a single spin move. 

Some students simply believed the men were not up for the task. Emma Cochran, a freshman history and Persian studies major, said the gorilla would have to be in a cage with men so they had no choice but to fight. Otherwise, the great ape is victorious. 

Cochran also proposed a version of the battle where the gorilla easily loses.

“I feel like 100 women, though, you wouldn’t have to put them in a cage,” Cochran said. “They could just get it.”

But other students believed the men’s strength in numbers would triumph over their primate relatives.

Larsen Murray, a sophomore psychology major, found the clash a matter of endurance. She said that while the gorilla may put up a good fight, it would eventually get overwhelmed.  

Others emphasized the sheer magnitude of manpower. Jadon Trackim, a junior computer science major, argued that gorillas, which on average weigh 350 pounds, would collapse under the weight of 100 men. 

But the question remains — how do these students envision this clash of titans?

Junior journalism major Thomas Omorobe imagines it as follows. Five men each take out the gorilla’s legs. They bring it to the ground. The remaining men pounce on the gorilla — game over. 

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But Omorobe remained certain this would not be an easy task.

“No one’s saying that it’s going to be a clean battle,” Omorobe said. “People will get hurt. Yes, there will be casualties.”

Murray enlisted an all-star team to help take down the gorilla — Dwayne Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal and Mike Tyson “in his prime” all made the cut. 

When asked what they’d say to this gorilla if given the chance, students expressed a mix of support, fear and taunt.  

Cochran ultimately expressed sympathy for gorillas for their bad reputation and their hypothetical plight against men.

“Fighting 100 men can be a noble cause,” Cochran said. “If I had 100 men up against me, I’d probably go crazy too.”