We all know Bruce Banner as the alter ego of Marvel’s The Hulk, but in reality, Sajad Gharibi might just be the rampaging giant’s true-to-life counterpart.
The 24-year-old Iranian weightlifter has been dubbed by social media as the “Persian Hercules” and ”Iranian Hulk” for his massive physique and sheer strength.
Weighing a staggering 350 pounds, Gharibi frequently represents his country in powerlifting and bodybuilding competitions.
Gharibi can lift up to 386 pounds (27.5 stone)—which is actually more than he weighs, according to The Sun. Despite his intimidating stature, friends claim he is a gentle giant.
Meanwhile, Gharibi’s Instagram account doesn’t feature the food and workout posts most weightlifters and workout-obsessives share. Instead, it displays an array of gobsmacking topless photos of himself and unpretentious pictures of him going about his day-to-day life.
The new internet sensation has aspirations of becoming the next World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) superstar and even called out Triple H in a recent Instagram post.
By the looks of it, Gharibi has already embraced his internet-bred monicker and seems to like all the attention.
His Instagram following has risen to 103,000, as netizens continue to express their amazement at his impressive build.
Gharibi usually captions his photos in Farsi, but uses English hashtags such as #strongman #strongbody #big #mucsles and #powerful. Khristian Ibarrola
