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First of all, the tiger is heavier and overall larger, so it has the size advantage. Though this is certainly not the MOST important thing in a fight, it is still important. Size DOES matter. But a bengal tiger isn't THAT much bigger than a lion, so in this case, power and skill are the most important things. And it has also been said by many experts many times that the tiger is the strongest cat on Earth. The tiger is more similar in build to the jaguar than the lion, and the jaguar is the world's strongest cat (compared to its own size.) A very important feature of strength is the animal's jaw force. The tiger has a wider skull, and the lion's is longer. Animals with wider skulls have a stronger bite, because the force of the bite is concentrated more on one area, instead of being spread out over a length. The tiger's canines are also a bit longer than the lion's, which is very easey to see in photos.
As for the animal's paw swipe, this is the major part of the animal's overall strength. The tiger certainly has stronger hind legs. They use them to leap great distances to kill prey. But many people say that the tiger has stronger hind legs, but the lion has stronger front paws, which is more important in a fight. Well, actually, the tiger's stronger back legs allow it to balance on them, and use both of its forepaws to fight. The lion usually uses just one paw at a time, NOT because its arms are stronger, but because it can not balance on two legs as well as the tiger. And if you have seen tigers fight before, you will have noticed the amazing speed they swipe with. It is also thought by some people that the tiger's punches are faster, but the lion's are harder and stronger. The fact is this: the more muscled the animal's limbs are, the faster the animal can move them. So, it is pretty clear that the tiger is stronger.
And now, we are going to discuss the most important part of a fight; the animals' fighting skill. A big myth surrounds this field. Many people think that, because a male lion fights for his pride against other males, the lion has more fighting skill. It is also thought that "A lion fights and doesn't hunt, and a tiger hunt's and doesn't fight." This is a ridiculous theory. The world is not all perfect and orderly like that; just because a male lion fights a lot and doesn't hunt much, does not mean that a tiger hunts and doesn't fight much. In fact, male lions DO hunt, and they do so very efficiently. And as for tigers, the truth is this: The average male tiger fights more over the coarse of his life than the average male lion. Tigers fight with other tigers, sometimes to the death, to win the heart of a female. And female tigers fight off hungry males to defend their cubs. The shrinking habitat of the tiger is causing even more battles over territory, battles that both tigers AND tigresses fight in. Tigers and lions fight a bit differently, as well. Tigers seem to use a bit more 'skill' in fighting, for example, keeping their heads back while battling. Lions have been known to blindly charge into battle; it's just the way they fight eachother. Unfortunetly, this would be a weakness when fighting a tiger, because experts have noticed that tigers think things through a bit more when they fight.
Now, let's refer to the lion and tiger's strengths and weaknesses. A key feature in a fight is speed. Being cats, both tigers and lions use amazing speed when fighting. But when it comes down to it, the tiger is clearly faster. Like I said before, if you have seen a tiger fight before, you probably noticed the rapid speed they swipe and throw punches with. This is one of the tiger's strengths. And of coarse, there is the case of the lion's mane. The lion's mane protects it's neck from fatal throat bites. This is the lion's advantage. But the thing is, in fights, tigers do not attack with a bite to the throat. In a television show called "Animal Face-Off", the lion won because his mane protected him when the tiger attemted a throat-bite. The problem with this show is that the "experts" think that a cat is going to bring predatorial/hunting skills into a fight. THEY WERE WRONG. In a fight, both tigers and lions will attack eachother's head, face, spine, and legs.
In the end, the tiger's agility, stanima, ferocity, and power comes out on top. The majority of experts agree that the tiger would be victorious about 90% of the time. (9 out of 10 fights) So now, it is clear that the tiger is the true king of beasts.
