Fighters Only

Issue 122

December 2014

Good God. We’ll be honest, we thought there wasn’t much more weirdness juice left to squeeze out of mixed martial arts (see UCMMA’s Ultimate Ball and Japanese tag team MMA). That oversight was probably because we forgot about the Russians. Those crazy bloody Russians.

Because they didn’t just host MMA fights at M-1 Challenge 50 in St Petersburg, they invited armored combat practitioners Craig Ivey and Sergey Ukolov to fight in the ring using swords and shields. It turns out this actually has a full-blown cult following and Ivey vs. Ukolov was somewhat of a superfight, pitting a member of the USA’s 2013 world championship-winning five-on-five team in Ivey against Ukolov, who’s a five-time world singles champion. Even MMA great Fedor Emelianenko was in the front row to watch Ukolov get the win.

It’s called historical medieval battles (or HMB) and connecting strikes via sword, shield, knees or anything score a point, and there are more if you get your opponent on the floor. You can’t impale or thrust with the sword, so no death allowed. Every year there’s a world championships at something called Battle of the Nations, where matches go from ‘pro fights’, which are one vs. one, to 21 vs. 21 and beyond.

Now, to be honest, we’re not as concerned about the safety of the combatants as we are for the welfare of the referee’s eyes. Why do the knights get helmets and chain mail to protect against the business end of swords and the poor guy inches away doesn’t even get safety goggles? Granted, not historically accurate, but when there’s blindness up for grabs...

Ridiculousness aside, if you can appreciate two things about this it’s that it wasn’t that long ago people into MMA were thought of with the same WTF regard you’re perhaps thinking of these guys now. HMB, MMA; ebony, ivory; brothers in weird combat.

Miami, United States: Hip show hits US, looks cooler than before

We first told you about Hip Show nearly two years ago. It’s where two teams of two fight using MMA rules in a foam-covered platform arena. Back then it was an affair exclusive to Russia. It crossed the oceans in August and hit America, where the organizers have called it Arena Combat (because what the hell did Hip Show ever mean anyway?).

A highlight reel of the first event posted online somehow makes it look even madder – yet better – than its Russian forefather. How? Think of people doing action-movie, over-the-top strikes combined with the daredevil, why-not-topple-off-this-tall-object-together nature of pro wrestling, all wrapped in the approving aura of authentic, real fighting.

Anyone else want to see the guaranteed super-athleticism of Anthony Pettis vs. Benson Henderson III played out in Arena Combat too?

27

Teams from 27 countries competed at this year’s Battle of the Nations historical medieval battles world championship in Croatia.

Third-annual Shawn Tompkins charity golf tournament honors late coach

The Fire Rock Golf Club in Ontario, Canada, opened its doors to MMA celebrities and fans in honor of the late MMA coach Shawn Tompkins in August. Fans had a chance to play the pristine course and test their golfing skills against MMA legend Bas Rutten, who worked with Tompkins for many years, as well as some of the veteran coach’s top pupils, including UFC veterans Mark Hominick, Sam Stout and Chris Horodecki.

A silent auction and raffle prizes – which included signed autographs from Bas Rutten, Fedor Emelianenko, Rashad Evans, Ken Shamrock and Wanderlei Silva – helped raise funds for St Leonard’s Society, a community charity.

Tompkins died unexpectedly in 2011 at 37 years old after a sudden heart attack.