There are those who know how to fight well. And there are those who are willing to pay money to see good fight. When interests converge, underground fight clubs appear. About these gladiator fights they prefer to keep silent about the underground, although from time to time stories about fight clubs pop up on TV. Many films have also been made that tell the story of illegal fighters. Just remember “Fight Club” with Brad Pitt... But films mostly remain films, with a piece of truth and the lion’s share of a beautiful fairy tale. Those rare stories that supposedly present journalistic investigations in underground clubs also do not tell about what actually happens in the ring and in the audience. Everything is shown either too softly or too harshly and scary. That's why I decided to write this article. It so happened that in my hometown there is a real fight club, where my acquaintances and friends wave their fists every week. Some of them went to national and international “championships.” sports" In short, I am competent in the matter. Therefore, the information presented below can be considered reliable.
The fight club is an illegal commercial organization operating on the principle of betting. As a rule, rich people whose activities are related to crime stand above all this. The purpose of creating the underground Colosseum is to earn money while having an interesting pastime. It is a misconception that supposedly fight clubs are hobby groups where people come to let off steam. Even those establishments that initially had a non-profit basis eventually become betting shops. Thieves in law, bandits and local bigwigs flock to the underground battlefield to watch the brutal fight, and perhaps win money. Fighters join underground fight clubs to earn a living or a fix with their fists. Yes, that's not a typo. There are indeed a lot of junkies in fight clubs, but the bulk of the participants are athletes involved in martial arts in various sections of the city. They come to the fight club themselves or are invited. The invitation is banal and vividly illustrated in films. Champions are found by a representative of the club, or by six of some authority. This person makes an offer to the guy, and if the latter agrees, then the representative organizes a meeting for the fighter with the owner to discuss details and conditions. It is noteworthy that during such a conversation, the confidentiality of the dominant party is not mentioned. I'll explain why later. If you want to volunteer for a fight yourself, then everything is simple here too. We need to find those who will lead us to the representative. This is quite easy to do if you know where to look.
Fight clubs are illegal commercial organizations operating on the betting principle. Fighters come here to make money with their fists, and the rich and powerful flock to the underground Colosseums to place a decent bet on the champion or challenger.
Fight clubs can be located in a variety of places. For example, in my city this is an ordinary basement under a five-story building. It’s not remarkable, it’s not great how much free space there is, but nevertheless... There is no ring as such. In a square room there are mats on which the fight takes place. Spectators sit around the perimeter. In the next room, bets are made and vodka is drunk. The fight takes place once a week, sometimes less often. There are not many people: fighters, those who place bets, organizers, and a few “leftist” but trusted people. A doctor must be present. There is a guard at the entrance. This is approximately what the underground Colosseum looks like in small town. IN big cities everything is much more advanced. Underground fights are held in specially prepared rooms at nightclubs. There are much more spectators, people gather much more seriously, the level of fighters is higher, the stakes are higher... We can say that a big city is the center to which fighters and their patrons strive. Often in big cities “gatherings” are held where fighters from different parts of the country compete.
Even those underground clubs that were organized so that you could come and let off steam eventually become commercial. And “Fight Club” with Brad Pitt is just an exciting fairy tale.
Clandestine fight clubs are illegal, but, as practice shows, they are nevertheless legal. Those. Law enforcement agencies do not arrange visits and do not arrest anyone. Do you think it's a good conspiracy? Of course not. It's just that local police departments get their share each month. That is why during the “interview” with a fighter, they do not tell him that he cannot tell anyone about this, etc. If he passes, the club will not cease to exist, but the fighter has every chance of remaining disabled after such revelations with the police, or completely ceasing to function as a living organism.
Underground fighting is actually not that brutal. There are rules, there is a judge, there is fighting etiquette. Injuries and deaths are unnecessary hassle for the organizers.
In underground clubs, competitions are held taking into account weight categories. It’s rare to see a fight in which guys whose height and weight are very different are fighting (although this also happens). The battle can take place with or without elements of protection. This is already by agreement. But gloves or cue balls are almost never neglected. These are fairy tales where betting fighters fight with their bare hands. Sometimes, of course, such fights take place, but fighters receive much more prize money for participating in them. I have seen several films that featured underground fighting. In many of them, the plot developed approximately like this: there were two fighter friends. One decided to make money from fights without rules. He defeated countless opponents and became a contender for the title of champion. He had to fight with a huge brute with a terrifying nickname like “Bonebreaker” or “Buffalo”. In battle, the muzzle beat the challenger, and at the end of the fight, he broke his Adam’s apple, spine, or something else. In short, he killed. And the hero of the film sought revenge on the murderer of his friend. This is bullshit. Beautiful, heroic, somewhat epic, but delusional. It’s difficult to call something like this any other way. I don’t know of a single case of a fighter being killed in an underground club. Despite the fact that betting is well protected by law enforcement agencies and authorities, murder in the ring is a huge problem, unnecessary waste, and a huge risk of going to jail. As I already said, during battles there is always a doctor present who will provide emergency medical care to the victim. If the fighter’s injuries turn out to be too serious, he will be urgently taken to the hospital. But, as a rule, it doesn’t come to this. After all, underground battles are not massacres without rules, as many are accustomed to believe. There are clear regulations, there is basic etiquette, and a judge must be present. It is forbidden to strike the joints, groin, Adam's apple, or spine. Choking techniques cannot be used on the ground. Of course, it does not happen without injuries and fractures, but this is an accident and not a constant phenomenon. The fight goes on until the judge decides that one of the fighters has no chance left, or one of the participants is seriously injured. I have heard several times that in some underground clubs the fight goes to first blood. If you break someone's lip, consider yourself a winner. However, if your hand is taken for a break, then prepare for the worst, or hope for the compassion of the audience and the referee. Although I still think that these are pure fiction and rumors.
Does it seem to you that everything is rosy and wonderful, and you want to test your strength in the ring? Don't rush...
Although there are rules, it still cannot be done without blood and injuries...
Perhaps in the ring in a normal club you are guaranteed relative safety. But no one can predict or guarantee anything about how the relationship between a fighter and his owner will develop. I know of a case where a fighter was seriously injured in the ring and decided to give up underground fighting. But since he won more than he lost, his “management” urged him to stay in business. They promised him money for treatment, high interest rates, but the guy’s decision was firm - to get involved in underground fighting, no matter what. The fighter’s decision greatly agitated the influential authority, and when the guy left the hospital, they found him and broke both of his arms. This act of authority was justified by the fact that he pulled the fighter out of the shit, gave him good interest, solved his problems several times, and he refused such an insignificant request. What am I talking about? Yes, that when a person joins an environment where people who are far from the law, people with their own specific concepts, rule, he becomes an integral and indivisible part of this world. And it is very difficult to break out of all this. Not because someone can forbid you to do this (as in the example above), but because this life drags on, the normal world ceases to be interesting.
In principle, this is all I wanted to tell you about. Perhaps the image fight clubs yours was brighter and more attractive, and what you read about is not comparable to what you imagined. But unfortunately, in most betting shops things are exactly as described above. I repeat - I am fully responsible for the accuracy of the information.
Fights without rules. We've all heard a lot about them, but what do we know except that the men there punch each other in the face? The battlefield becomes a place where a boxer faces off against a wrestler, and a judoka challenges a kickboxer. It's time to lift the veil of secrecy and plunge into the world of bets, excitement and enchanting massacre, which is very different from the cult films with Jean-Claude Van Damme.
1. How to get to such a tournament
The first obstacle will be the absolute secrecy of such events due to their illegality. The organizers fear that one of the spectators or participants may be a police officer, hence the high level of secrecy. Another reason for the strict selection is that not all spectators would like to be seen at such an event if it were covered by the media.
If your desire to attend such an event is limitless, but you have no acquaintances in this area, then it makes sense to go to official events of this kind, for example, MMA competitions, regional or zonal tournaments. There you will have to demonstrate your interest and place bets several times. Then the chances that an inconspicuous person will approach you with an offer to watch tougher fights are quite high. In other cases, access to such an event is possible only by invitation.
2. Rules
Tong-Po would be smiling now, because the only rule is no rules. The fighters fight without protective equipment, naked to the waist. Shoes may be present, but only by agreement. The only exception is weapons - they are prohibited, but biting, hitting in the groin and insulting an opponent's mother in order to demoralize him is allowed. The fight ends if one of the opponents is deeply knocked out or admits defeat. The unspoken rule does not recommend finishing off an opponent who is deeply knocked out, but everything remains at the discretion of the fighter.
3. Fearless Bastards
The color of the fighters performing in such fights is extremely diverse. It could be a boxer, sambo wrestler, hand-to-hand fighter or wrestler. Sometimes there are even guys who are seasoned by the street, or simple clerks who want to let off steam. Usually the fight between an “amateur” and a pro ends very quickly. As a rule, a spectacular knockout. Spectators especially love it when representatives of different schools come together in battle, but once you find out that one of the participants is a representative of intelligence, the stakes on him immediately skyrocket.
It is believed that such a specialist is ready for any threats and can neutralize the enemy with lightning speed, and for the viewer this is easy money. If we talk about professional athletes, That best results boxers and sambo wrestlers show. Only representatives of the classical school of boxing have a big disadvantage over other athletes: they have never focused on protecting the groin and legs, so they often pass out after receiving a serious blow to the balls. But the boxer, who served for several years in the special forces, will instantly become a favorite.
4. Bets
Bets are the engine of battles. A viewer can attend such an event only by paying admission. This is one way to at least discourage such an event. There are no sponsors in shadow sports, and it is not possible to make money from live broadcasts. Nobody prohibits spectators from placing bets, which is another source of income. The organizer takes 10% of the total bank for organizational efforts, the rest of the fee goes to the fighters by agreement. The size of the minimum and maximum bet is not limited: there are individuals who bet $100,000 on a specific fighter.
In case of winning, the losses of the organizers will be colossal, so there is always an unspoken signal that tells the fighter that he needs to “lie down”. In life, there are practically no naive fighters who, in order to win, turn on the soundtrack from “Rocky” in their heads and with the name of their coach on their lips. A fighter who intentionally loses a fight receives a certain percentage of the winner's pot. But in most cases, fights are fair and the strongest wins.
5. Is money always the driving force?
No, in the world of fighting without rules, there are real berserkers who simply cannot live without battle. As a rule, these are warriors who have been to hot spots, and after returning from which they made a total reassessment of values. The rest of the athletes are afraid of them, since in a fight with an ordinary opponent, in the event of a knockout, only the nose can be broken, and in such killers, the smell of blood awakens ancient instincts that order to destroy not only the spirit, but also the body of the enemy.
6. Types of fights without rules
Most likely, you think that such competitions are exclusively 1 on 1, but people, both in sex and in spectacle, love variety, thanks to which the following variations appeared:
Boxing without gloves is a harsh sport that promises not only good money, but also injuries. The fighters fight according to the rules of boxing, but without any protection for their hands and heads. If you don’t believe that this is really tough, then watch a couple of videos. There will be many impressions.
TFC - 5 on 5 fights within the ring. Now fans of mass carnage do not have to look for a forest belt to go wall to wall. The fights are very spectacular, if only because, being the only member of the team left standing, you should not expect mercy from the fighters from the opposing team.
The UFC, the most popular fighting organization, did not always have the regulated rules that it lives by today. In the distant past, there were no weight categories, and fights were more like gladiatorial battles. Elbow strikes to the throat, strikes to the groin, hair grabbing and finishing off a prone opponent with legs were allowed. Today's version has acquired regulations and rules.
7. An excursion into history: an illegal boxing match of champions without gloves
Passed in 1889. This battle was expected not only because of sporting interest, but also because of the personal motives of the fighters to get even with each other.
But let's start with organizing the battle. 3,000 people received a train ticket where the “destination” column was empty. Such secrecy was due to the fact that such fights were illegal in that era and were seriously punished. But interest in the fight between the two gods of the boxing world was much stronger than any fears - 3,000 fans gathered to watch the fight between John Sullivan and Jake Killrain.
The personal side was especially relevant because previously John Sullivan, being a famous champion, publicly insulted and refused an interview to the then famous businessman and owner of a sports magazine, Richard Fox. For a long time, Fox was looking for a fighter who could kick the pompous Sullivan’s ass and remove him from the winner’s pedestal, and the search was crowned with success. In one of the villages, the star of Jake Killirane, a promising young fighter, sparkled. At that time, the champion had health problems due to alcohol abuse, so everyone bet on the rising star. But when the arrogant spiteful critics noticeably subsided, the champion returned to excellent form and again clad his fists in steel.
The fight took place without gloves, and the rules were different than today. The round lasted indefinitely, but ended when one of the athletes fell to his knee. In addition, the number of rounds was not limited. Because of this, the fight lasted a whopping 76 rounds, or 2 hours. It’s hard to imagine how tough these guys are, because not everyone can just wave their arms for two hours straight, and then you can even get punched in the face.
The fight eventually ended when Killrain's cornerman threw a sponge into the ring. This meant the end of the battle and the surrender of the opponent. He did this because, in his memory, two guys went to their forefathers during a similar fight.
As often happens, after a couple of years the fighters became close friends, and we still read with interest about such pearls of the sport today.
From time immemorial, there was an opinion that a crowd needed two main things - bread and circuses. It goes without saying that such a statement in the modern interpretation implies that people have sufficient means for a normal life. Since on at the moment Since a fairly impressive part of the planet’s population has all the material benefits, it was quite logical for the emergence of new entertainment for the public, which is sometimes quite cruel, but at the same time spectacular.
One of these tournaments, which arose at the turn of the 20th and 21st centuries and still attracts millions of viewers to this day, is UFC - Ultimate Fighting Championship. It is this media product that has grown from a small tournament into a global organization, under the auspices of which a great many famous athletes from all corners of our earth perform. Thanks to this championship martial arts received enormous recognition and love, and the owners of the promotion received billions in profits.
A brief excursion into history
So, before we figure out how to get into the UFC, first of all, let's get acquainted with the main milestones in the emergence of the organization itself.
It owes its origins to businessman from California Arthur Davey. It was his studies of martial arts that in 1991 allowed him to meet one of the adherents of Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Rorion Gracie. This tandem subsequently stimulated the holding of the world's first tournament among fighters of different disciplines. It happened on November 12, 1993, when representatives of boxing, karate, savate, shootboxing, sumo and jiu-jitsu met in the octagon cage. It was a Brazilian named Royce Grace who eventually won the first UFC championship. Weight categories were absent at that time.
Features of the first competitions
Despite the fact that the motto “No rules!” was initially cultivated, in reality this was not the case. It was forbidden to gouge out eyes, bite, hit in the groin, or tear open the mouth. Basically, the fighters adhered to a certain ethics and did not take liberties. Although there is a known case when in a duel between Hackney and Sana, the latter was struck several deliberate blows to the wound. In addition, the newly created martial arts were characterized by the fact that the anthropometric difference between rivals could be simply gigantic. So, in the fight between Keith Hackney and Emmanuel Yarborough, the difference in weight was 180 kilograms.
Confrontation with the Senator
Today many fighters ask the question: “How to get into the UFC?” But after the first competition, US Senator John McCain made every effort to ban the now insanely popular promotion. According to the politician, such fights were the personification of cruelty and had no right to exist. Therefore, he sent letters to all states of the country asking them to ban the broadcast of such tournaments. For this reason, the UFC made contact with the athletic commissions and made changes to the rules and regulations, due to which protective gloves appeared, the number of bans increased, and rounds with a certain duration (five minutes) were established.
Salvation
Long ordeals and bureaucratic red tape brought the UFC to the brink of extinction. But the situation changed radically when in 2001 former promoter Boxing boxer Dana White and several casino executives Frank and Lorenzo Faritta bought the organization for $2 million. To do this, they created a company called Zuffa.
Rules
Almost every fighter, before entering the UFC, is already quite familiar with the rules. The leading American MMA organization in its regulations for conducting fights adheres to the following requirements:
Taboo
As for prohibited actions, the following are not allowed in the Octagon:
Weight frames
- flyweight (53 to 57 kg);
- light weight (from 57 to 61 kg);
- featherweight (61 to 66 kg);
- light weight (from 66 to 70 kg);
- welterweight (from 70 to 77 kg);
- average weight (from 77 to 84 kg);
- light heavyweight (from 84 to 93 kg);
- heavy weight (from 93 to 120 kg).
For women, there is also a minimum weight (from 48 kg to 52 kg).
Ways to sign a contract with the UFC
If you analyze what it takes to get into the UFC, you can find out: the fighter in this tournament is the athlete who adheres to several points. We will dwell on them in more detail.
You must have a certain talent and train regularly with full dedication.
As practice shows, this statement is 100% correct. There are many cases where a talented fighter was never able to fully realize himself due to elementary laziness. Therefore, as popular wisdom says: “Work and labor will grind everything down.”
There are a huge number of examples when a fighter began his career in a promotion less known than the UFC. Take the same Eddie Alvarez. This guy started his performances in Bellator, became a champion there and eventually ended up in the UFC. Or Belarusian Andrei Arlovski, who, as many believed, had already gone off the rails big sport, returned to the main octagon of the planet thanks to his diligence and ability to work.
Make the public and TV people fall in love with you
This is exactly how Chael Sonnen fought for the title three times, who, in principle, does not have outstanding fighting skills. In fact, this point helps to understand how Conor McGregor got into the UFC, since he is also a recognized master of trash talk. Due to his bright and sparkling statements, he was able to attract the attention of the public, and then back up his words with active actions in the cage, literally shocking the world with an instant victory over former champion
Qualify via TUF
The Ultimate Fighter is a show that hundreds of fighters have gone through and saved the organization from bankruptcy. This “meat grinder” included: Nate Diaz, Kenny Florian, Forrest Griffin, Mat Serra, Josh Koscheck, Rashad Evans and many other stars whom many MMA fans know today. It was thanks to the battles in this mini-tournament that many guys ended up at the top.
Being "scarce"
In this case, only weight is meant. If you look at how many fights it takes for a middleweight to reach the title shot, and how many for a fighter in the flyweight division, it becomes clear: a small fighter will be in a more advantageous position.
Be a star of any other martial arts
Everything is clear here. Promoting an athlete who has already created a name for himself is much easier than raising him from the bottom. Poster in the style " best boxer world in the past, and now an MMA fighter” will always attract the public and, accordingly, money, for which everything, in principle, is being done. And finally, another way to get into the UFC.
Fill out the form
Most recently, the UFC provided athletes with the opportunity to fill out an online form on their website and post videos of their fights. Based on the results of the reviews, management can make an offer to the fighter to sign a contract. As we see, modern technologies also do their job and save athletes time.
These briefly described actions allow you to understand how to get to the UFC, fights in which are a matter of prestige for many hand-to-hand combat masters.
On June 10, an exotic fight in every sense will take place in the USA: worn-out MMA veteran Shannon Rich (filedSherdog he has 55 victories - 80 defeats - 4 draws) will fight in a fist fight against the world champion in boxing without gloves, who twice failed in fights for the title of world champion in professional boxing, Bobby Gunn. Looking forward to this battle Sovsport. ruI decided to tell you about the types of popular fights “not for the masses.”
Boxing without gloves
A harsh and completely unpredictable sport (if you can call it a sport at all) - one missed hit and you're lying passed out on the floor. After watching a few videos of such fights, you wonder: why do famous fighters need this? Or rather, Bobby Gunn can still be understood - he is considered the king of this sport and for him a victory over big names will not be superfluous, but why this is for Shannon Rich, who specializes in wrestling, is very difficult to understand. Does a paid broadcast of this fight promise a huge jackpot for the fighters?
Taffite
A more humane modification of boxing is “fights of survival”, where the entire fight is a round of 12 minutes. Now this may sound fantastic, but many Russian boxing stars took part in such fights: the holder of the WBA world “super champion” title in the super middleweight Fedor Chudinov, former contenders for world champion titles Dmitry Sukhotsky and Hayk Shakhnazaryan, as well as holders of many regional titles Maxim Vlasov , Sergey Ekimov, Denis Bakhtov and Konstantin Piternov. It turns out that from the “underground” to the “bohemia” is just a stone’s throw away. It’s just a pity that this project didn’t help at all - it’s more dead than alive.
Fights according to the rules of MMA on sand, which were able to conquer not only the Internet, but also go on TV! Of course, the success of this show simply could not help but reflect on its prominent representatives: about the homeless fighter with a diploma from Moscow State University Vyacheslav “Ali Baba” Yurovsky, two films have already been made (one by the RT channel, the other - amateur) and a lot of material has been written about him, the talented fighter Pavel Vitruk will soon be waiting for a fight for the M-1Challenge title, and Mikhail “Pitbull” Turkanov was able to become the hero of crime chronicles. Here, as they say, to each his own - whoever strived for what achieved it.
The Riga organizers decided to take the five-on-five fights of football fans to a new level, and they succeeded. Now, instead of raw forest, the “fans” are provided with a decent room for the fight, objective judges and the opportunity to “legally” show their face (without a mask) to the whole world. By the way, video fights from this project receive millions of views, and the winners of the show (if you can call it that) even receive some kind of cash prize.
HipShow
Another show with the participation of football fans, which are two-on-two fights with obstacles... Unfortunately, this is not a joke and not a new show on Channel One (by the way, they could have been held as part of the “Big Race” program or made a separate “show with stars”), but real underground fights. Despite the coolness of this idea, none of the TV people noticed it... And how can it be noticed if the most successful video on the YouTube channel for three years did not even get 300 thousand views?! In general, this is the most unpopular and sophisticated “underground” show that we found on the Internet.
UFC:Fights without rules
Now it’s hard to believe, but initially the UFC (like most other fighting promotions of the 90s) was partly “underground” in nature and was even banned in most states of America. Why? Well, many people thought that bare-knuckle fighting, which allowed headbutts, groin strikes, elbows to the neck and head, kicks to a downed opponent, punches to pressure points and hair pulling, was a harsh spectacle. So the promoters had to make concessions and make a few rule changes to turn gladiator fights into a “vanilla” show for the masses, in which even women can fight... Yes, before the sun shone brighter, and the trees were taller, and the UFC was tougher!
Bonus:
Street fighting with KimboSlice
While working on this material, fighter Kevin Ferguson (in the world of mixed martial arts, better known as Kimbo Slice), who became famous thanks to videos of his street fights that appeared on the Internet, died at the age of 43. Unfortunately, we are not able to tell in detail about the organization of such fights, we only know that Mike Imber, the owner of the porn studio Reality King and Kimbo’s manager, was involved in this, the pressure-resource of which was the first recording of such a fight. It was later that such fights filled YouTube, steadily gaining several million views per video, and Kimbo Slice turned into a professional MMA fighter , who began performing on EliteXC, UFC and Bellator shows.
In the capital underground tournaments are usually held in the nightclub of the Havana cinema at the address: st. Sheremetyevskaya 2
Anatoly Utkin
The system for conducting underground battles in the capital is very simple. From all those who wish, and there are usually a lot of them, five to ten people are selected. Everyone who wants to earn money in this way comes to one of the rentals rented by the organizers. gyms, where the qualifying bouts take place. As a rule, halls are rented in small vocational schools or schools, away from the center. The fights take place according to the Olympic system - elimination. At the same time, the losers often leave the arena on a stretcher, and not on their own two feet. There are no rules. Hit wherever you want and with whatever you want. The main thing is that you cannot use any improvised objects. There is no doping control. Weight doesn't matter. In general, everything is like on the street. It was precisely this kind of “casting” that I arrived at.
The hall was located in the building of one of the vocational schools near the Savelovskaya metro station. Near the entrance, several ambulances and four foreign cars with stocky young men inside were smoking. A smart guy met me at the door and very politely asked where I was going. Having heard the explanations, he smiled and invited me to go into the hall, not forgetting to ask if I agreed with all the rules of participation:
In principle, there are no rules,” he clarified. - The strongest wins. Today there will be no more than sixty people. So only five will get the right to fight in public. If you get hurt, there are no complaints. The ambulance, of course, will take you to the hospital, but in the report they will write that they picked you up, beaten, on the street. If you start chatting, it won't end well for you.
I agreed with everything.
By the time I arrived, about thirty people were already warming up along the walls. The hall is divided into three equal squares. There were no mats or boxing ropes. The people gathered were completely different: from pumped-up “monsters” to teenagers. I changed my clothes and entered the hall. The dress code was not specified by anyone. Everyone wore what they were comfortable in. I put on my old kimono.
Luckily for me, the registration was purely formal. First name, last name and patronymic are of little interest to anyone here. Nobody asked for a passport, so you could call yourself whatever you wanted. The required name in the questionnaire was the battle nickname under which you should perform in the future.
I’ll be Whirlwind, and my name is Alexey,” I plumped without thinking.
I was neatly entered into a blank column under the code name “Whirlwind”. “Alexey” was added in small letters on the side. Out of curiosity, I looked at the list. Yes, the imagination of the Russian person is inexhaustible. Who was there: Propeller, Meat Grinder, Little Dwarf, who looked more like a hefty goblin from the acclaimed “Harry Potter”. One original even called himself Chikatila.
The time for the start of contractions was approaching, and 57 people were already on the lists. I decided not to waste time and communicate with my future rivals.
Sanya, nicknamed Genghis Khan, came to these fights on the recommendation of a friend. He recently served in the Airborne Forces. Before the army he was engaged in boxing.
My brother told me that you can earn such money here,” he began to talk. - The main thing is to pass the selection. Well, nothing more than a demob in the army, no one will punch you in the face.
What are you doing now?
I work as a security guard, I guard the crossing. Not a lot of money. And my mother is unemployed. And you?
I pretended to be a former special forces soldier who had recently served in the internal troops.
I also recently got discharged, there is no work, a friend brought me here.
Our conversation was interrupted by the tournament organizers.
That's it, it's good to sweat in vain. Now we will draw lots for the fight.
The tournament itself in underground fighting without rules takes place in several casinos and restaurants in the capital. It is especially often held at the Havana cinema. There's one there nightclub. During the tournament, the club is closed for special services, and it is impossible to get there from the street. These days, dozens of expensive cars flock to Sheremetyevskaya Street (this is where Havana is located). Only the so-called “club members” - very rich people - can get into the underground slaughterhouse. Entry costs at least $1,200. Visitors must dress appropriately. Men in suits, ladies in evening dresses. Everything inside is free. Courteous waiters treat visitors at the establishment's expense. The bets on these lists are also appropriate. They can bet about $500-$1,500 on an unknown speaker. For a fighter with a more or less well-known name, the price can rise to 3000, and for famous multiple champions Club visitors do not spare money. They are ready to bet up to 10,000 greenbacks on his victory.
The fighters live by their own standards. For victory on qualifying competitions, subject to agreement to continue fighting with money from the casino, they are paid an advance of $1,000. Then the competition develops according to the following scenario. Each fighter has his own rating. At the first performance it is zero. Then everything depends on him. The more victories a performer has, the faster his rating curve grows. Accordingly, the higher it is, the more money they bet on it. The fighter himself receives two amounts. The first is for performance. Middle-class gladiators receive $500 for a win and $250 for a loss. Fighters high level, crowd favorites, have twice as much. The winner is paid a thousand, and the loser -500. In addition, all tournament participants receive interest from bets placed on them. So, for winning a battle among masters, taking into account that you have a high rating, you can get up to five thousand dollars. The usual income of the winner per evening does not exceed two thousand.
Meanwhile, the draw for the qualifying battles began. It was simple and unpretentious. Small pieces of paper with the names of the participants were thrown into the baseball cap. The fight manager pulled them out in pairs and announced who should fight who. My fight was scheduled for fourth. The opponent turned out to be a short boy named Clarus. What this means, I did not find out. The only thing that reassured me was that it was not “Little Dwarf”.
Contractions began. The participants were completely different. Mostly kickboxers and regular boxers predominated. These guys with fists like sledgehammers stood out in the crowd. In addition, there were a lot of people who did not belong to any type of martial arts. Most of them were guys who had recently or relatively recently left the army special forces. They were different from total mass height and some kind of lostness in his gaze. Representatives oriental species There were clearly fewer martial arts of all. There were also ordinary people who liked to get involved, who had never done anything, but grew up on the streets and learned to fight there.
In my ring in the first fight there were Propeller and an oriental fighter named Tatar. Judging by external factors, Tatar should kill Propeller with one blow. But everything turned out the other way around. Propeller turned out not to have hands, but real fan blades; after thirty seconds of the fight, doctors were already bending over the representative of the East. It's good that things didn't go further than that. After three minutes, they managed to pump him out using ammonia.
“I got it,” I thought for some reason. - What if he did me too? Run and don’t look back!”
At this time, in the next ring, my new acquaintance Genghis Khan was dealing with a young man who looked more like a fashion model than a professional fighter. My mood dropped completely: “What am I doing here?”
Whirlwind and Clarus,” the referee announced.
“Well, that’s all,” flashed through my head.
I entered the ring as if in a dream:
“Why did I get involved in this!”
The battle started bleakly. Clarus turned out to be a judoka, and in the first seconds he caught me punching me in the head. Then everything flashed before my eyes, like in a bad cartoon. I hit my head on the floor. Following this, Clarus' fist hit me in the eye. I began to see exactly fifty percent, but I became seriously angry. And most importantly, I understood that I shouldn’t let him get close. By my calculations, we still had about eight minutes to fight. In total, a regular qualifying battle lasts ten. It should be noted that the last years of wild life have greatly undermined my physical fitness. There was a stabbing sensation in my right side.
“If I don’t do anything for another minute, I’ll run out of steam and he’ll turn me into a steak,” I thought. “I just need to hold out a little longer and then I’ll go home.”
I caught Clarus with a direct kick. He folded up somehow unnaturally and fell to the floor. Everything was boiling in my head. But at the same time I felt like I was in a dream. Not understanding anything, I moved out of the ring. Only one thing was spinning in my head: “It can’t be, I won!” I made it. No, now he’ll get up and beat me like this...”
But Clarus did not get up. Five minutes later, people in white coats appeared and carried him out of the hall. I felt a little uneasy. But I didn’t feel pity for him. On the contrary, I felt some kind of animal instinct that was not typical for me: “If I don’t him, then he me.”
Injuries on underground battles without rules is not uncommon. It is almost impossible for a battle to go without injury. But bruises are one thing, and quite another thing when a fighter is carried out of the ring on a stretcher. The organizers are silent about the fact that there are deaths, but, as I managed to find out, such things have happened in the history of these battles. Only during the time when I competed in the qualifying underground fights without rules, the ambulance doctors carried three fighters out of the hall on stretchers. Naturally, the speakers do not have any insurance. Everyone enters the ring, risking leaving it “feet first.” The only thing that the organizers guarantee is first aid. Several ambulances are on duty near each underground hall during the tournament. When a fighter is injured, he is provided with assistance. If the victim needs hospitalization, he is taken to the nearest hospital, where he is registered as a victim of hooligan robbers picked up on the street. At the same time, the faces of the fighters often resemble a chop. Doctors are paid well for this kind of work. One such duty brings the doctor 300-500 dollars.
And these are just the qualifying battles. In casinos, things are much worse. Those who managed to hold out there in the ring for at least a few evenings may think that Jackie Chan is not afraid of him. The main injuries in underground fights without rules are broken noses, dislocations, bruises, fractures, concussions and knocked out teeth. All in all, not the most pleasant set.
It is almost impossible to carry out a battle and come out of it completely unscathed.
While I was recovering from my unexpected victory, passions in the rings were heating up. The first stage of qualifying battles has passed, and no more than thirty applicants remained in the hall. It must be said that their optimism appearance did not inspire. For the most part, two-meter-tall big men with bruises under their eyes, bloody lips and noses turned to the side looked angrily at each other. Before the second stage of fighting, a fifteen-minute break was announced. Everyone went about their business. Someone went to smoke, someone continued to warm up, and someone decided to turn to doctors for help. I looked at my new acquaintance Genghis Khan. It turned out that he also made it to the second round. At the same time, his face looked completely fresh. I approached him.
Well, how are you?
Nothing! But in the second round, I feel I will have to work hard. And I see you didn’t have any injuries?
I just nodded in response. The second stage of qualifying battles began. The fact that I was planning to run home was somehow forgotten. Excitement awoke.
I regretted my decision immediately after the draw. The opponent was not a gift. The two-meter special forces soldier Ferocious looked at me with bitterness.
Yes, you’re out of luck,” I heard Genghis Khan’s voice behind me. - But I didn’t get any better. Master of sports in kickboxing I don’t think I can handle it.
Then the first contractions were announced. The level of the fighters really turned out to be an order of magnitude higher than at the first stage. In 30 seconds, no one was knocked out. The fighting went on with varying degrees of success. The number of injuries did not decrease at all, but only increased. The boys with rags did not have time to wipe the ring. Genghis Khan received blow after blow from his kickboxer, and his position was unenviable. True, on last minutes During the fight, he somehow managed to dodge and send his opponent into a long knockdown. When he came to his senses, the battle was already lost.
My fight was announced. I didn’t want to go out, but my pride didn’t allow me to refuse. I had to fight. In the very first minute I received a kick in the ear from the Fierce One. It hurt, but it was invigorating. True, not for long. With the next blow I almost broke my arm on his abs. Things took an unpleasant turn. You fight like a fish on the asphalt, but what’s the point... At the fifth minute I started to give up. It was difficult to run around the ring from the increasingly divergent Fierce, and it was impossible to hold back his blows. The decision came naturally. It was in the name of the competition. If fights take place without rules, then the concept of morality does not exist in them either. Having chosen the moment, I drove with all my might between the Ferocious’s legs. It folded in half. The battle was won. I was declared the winner and left the ring.
The remaining contractions of the second stage passed quite quickly. There were such big guys in the third round that no benefit of civilization would have forced me to continue participating in this massacre. We had to get out of here somehow. It was not possible to leave unnoticed, and simply refusing was dangerous. They might have suspected something was wrong. I had to pretend. As I walked past the registration desk, I pretended to trip.
Oh, ..., I twisted my ankle! I can’t participate anymore, my leg hurts.
“Go to the doctor,” one of the guards snapped.
What the hell is a doctor, I can’t stand on her!
“Let him go in all directions,” a man dressed in a stylish black suit said over his shoulder. - We still have one extra in the finals.
It didn't take me long to ask. I rushed to the exit, not forgetting to limp on my “sore” leg. I really changed like a whirlwind. I jumped out of the vocational school and jumped into the car around the corner, where my friends were waiting for me.
So how? - was the first question.
“What,” I snapped and turned to them with a bruise. - The report is there.
