Organizations for fights without rules. Everything you didn't know about underground fighting

• COMPETITIONS
• FIGHTERS
• MIXED MARTIAL ARTS

This article is devoted to safety during mixed martial arts competitions. It outlines the main points related to the organization and participation in mixed martial arts competitions at various levels.

• Organization of safety measures during athletics competitions
• The influence of sambo wrestling on the training of employees of the State Fire Service of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia

“Mixed Martial Arts” (eng. MMA - Mixed Martial Arts) - a type of contact combat sports, which uses different striking and wrestling techniques. MMA fights are fought both standing and on the ground (ground). MMA used to be called “fighting without rules”, but this term is outdated, since in martial arts there are rules and regulations that ensure the safety of fighters.

The history of mixed martial arts

The first “fights without rules” or pankration were carried out in the ancient world, in Ancient Greece at the Olympic Games, representing a fight where it was possible to deliver various kicks and punches, hold grabs and throws, and perform choking techniques.

Figure 1. Pankration

Already at the end of the nineteenth century, battles that took place between representatives of various types martial arts At the beginning of the twentieth century, known throughout the world mixed martial arts the Gracie family organized fights in mixed style, which were called "Gracie Challenge". Gracie offered anyone who wanted to fight with their fighter, thus they proved to everyone that Brazilian jiu-jitsu is the champion among all world martial arts.

In the second half of the twentieth century, a mixture of different styles was promoted by the famous actor and fighter Bruce Lee, who many years later, the president of the UFC organization for ultimate fighting, Dana White, would call “the father of all mixed martial arts.”

Bruce Lee has repeatedly stated that best fighter is the one who combines different styles when fighting with the enemy, can freely inflict powerful blows arms and legs, has wrestling skills, and representatives of only one type of martial arts, such as boxing, wrestling, karate and others, will be less dangerous, since they are specialists in only one direction.

In the 70s, Japanese Kanji Inoki fought mixed martial arts in his country. The most difficult opponent for him was the legendary boxer Mohammed Ali. Inoki's fights interested his friend Satoru Sayama so much that he decided to unite mixed martial arts fighters into the world's first organization, called Shotoo.

Mixed martial arts in the form in which we now see them arose in 1993, when the first fights were organized by the UFC organization. These fights were called “fights without rules”, the fighters entered the octagon to fight without any equipment, protection of arms, legs, head, then there were no restrictions on time and rounds, the fight lasted until a knockout or until the opponent surrendered.

A significant step towards the formation of MMA as an independent sport was made in 2000, when all the basic rules were formulated, which all MMA promotions are guided by today.

The first Russian representative and UFC champion became Oleg Taktarov, nicknamed “Russian Bear”.

The President of the MMA Union of Russia today is multiple champion world and Russia in mixed martial arts and combat sambo Fedor Emelianenko.

Drawing. 2. Russian MMA Union

Fighting tactics have also undergone significant changes: previously fighters entered the ring to prove that their style is the best, now fighters are trying to develop all skills at the same time, to be ready to take the fight, both standing and on the ground.

The place and significance of mixed martial arts in the system of physical education

Mixed martial arts classes improve the impact on the physical and emotional state of the athlete: he develops agility, strength, increases endurance, and the body becomes more flexible. According to medical research, mixed martial arts improves the condition of the circulatory and respiratory systems, engages all human muscles, and accelerates the metabolic process in cells. It follows from this that MMA (mixed martial arts) classes are useful for citizens of all age categories, since constant classes will have effective impact to preserve human health and capacity. Unfortunately, cruelty and violence are the most common phenomena today. Almost all schools of mixed martial arts have their own methods of self-defense; mastering them, a person develops confidence in himself and his abilities, his self-esteem increases, and, consequently, a favorable situation is created for the mental and emotional comfort of the individual. Mixed martial arts classes not only train the body, but also help to gain control over one’s weaknesses, forget about aggression, cultivate fortitude, and learn to live in harmony with oneself. People leave the hall less embittered, leaving their aggression and anger there.

Competition planning

Preparations for mixed martial arts competitions begin well in advance of the event with the preparation of calendar plan competitions and competition regulations. The ideal holding of mixed martial arts competitions largely depends on the timely and high-quality preparation of these documents.

The competition calendar is drawn up by the organization responsible for the competition and in accordance with the following features:

1. The gender of the participants, their age group and athlete qualifications.
2. The number of competitions over the entire period of their holding.
3. Competitions will be held at the same time as last year.

Preparation for the competition

Preparations for mixed martial arts competitions begin long before they begin. Not only the organization responsible for conducting them is involved, but also a panel of judges, a physical education organization, and a mixed martial arts federation. When holding large-scale competitions, an organizing committee is created depending on the size of the competition.

The organizing committee creates a credentials committee and a panel of judges.

At the competition site, it is necessary to provide rooms for changing clothes for participants, panel of judges and separately for the competition doctor, for the buffets serving participants, spectators and judges. Provide a room for storing clothes (wardrobe), a sufficient number of washbasins and toilets, etc.

Required condition is the presence of a doctor at competitions; this is necessary for medical examination of competition participants and constant monitoring throughout the competition.

Depending on the level of competition, athletes are tested for the use of prohibited drugs (doping testing).

It is also necessary to organize public order and ensure the safety of participants and spectators of the competition.

Logistics support for competitions

According to the rules of MMA competitions, fights take place in the ring or in an octagonal cage (octagon).

The ring (arena) is equipped with stretched ropes made of soft material. The floor should extend beyond the ropes by 45 cm. Gymnastic mats with a thickness of at least 3 cm are laid on the floor. The platform rises 12 cm above the floor level. On each side of the ring there must be five rows of ropes with a diameter of at least 3 cm, covered with soft material. The distance from the surface of the ring to the bottom rope is 36 cm. There should be no foreign objects in the ring.

Equipment and protective accessories for fighters:

1. Boxer briefs (shorts).
2. Special gloves with open fingers (such half-gloves allow fighters to box and perform various techniques) to protect their fists.
3. Mouthguard to protect teeth.
4. Groin shell (worn under shorts) to protect the groin.
5. Protective shin guards to protect the shin and foot during impact.

Drawing. 4. MMA competitions

Participation in competitions

Competitions are held in sports facilities, meeting the requirements of the relevant regulatory legal acts in force in the territory Russian Federation and aimed at ensuring public order and the safety of participants and spectators, as well as in the presence of acts of readiness of the sports facility to host competitions, approved in the prescribed manner.

Participation in competitions is carried out only if there is an agreement (original) on life and health insurance against accidents for the participant in the competition, which is submitted to the credentials committee for each fighter. Insurance can be provided at the expense of budgetary and extra-budgetary funds, in accordance with the current legislation of the Russian Federation.

The provision of emergency medical care is carried out in accordance with the order of the Ministry of Health and Social Development of the Russian Federation dated 08/09/2010 No. 613n “On approval of the procedure for providing medical care during physical education and sports events.”

Mandatory doping control for sports competitions is carried out in compliance with the requirements of the international standard for testing competition participants, defined international organization which fights doping and is recognized by the International Olympic Committee.

Each participant in the competition must have a valid medical permit from a sports dispensary or a one-time medical certificate to participate in competitions that are the basis for admission to sports competitions.

Bandaging of hands and shins, except as permitted by the tournament organizing committee, is prohibited.

It is prohibited to apply any oils or creams to the body.

Fingernails and toenails should be trimmed short.

References

1. Order of the Ministry of Health and Social Development of the Russian Federation dated 08/09/2010 No. 613n “On approval of the procedure for providing medical care during physical education and sports events.”
2. Full Contact Fighter August 2001 News Archives/ Fcfighter.com – FULL CONTACT FIGHTER website.
3. http://tigrismma.ru/cto-takoe-mma/ - website of the mixed martial arts club. Member of the Moscow MMA Federation.
4. http://www.mixfight.ru – mixed martial arts website
5. http://unionmma.ru – website of the Russian MMA Union.
6. https://www/sports.ru/tribuna/blogs/m... – website of the flagship project of the digital sports publishing house Tribuna Digital.

Four hundred dollars. We made it so that some people began to fight with us, others wanted to fight with us, and everyone around us started talking about us. It cost us four hundred dollars,” Greg Apinyan sounds proud in his voice.

Apinyan is a 29-year-old resident of St. Petersburg and organizer of the Strelka mixed martial arts championships. Everyone in St. Petersburg knows what an “arrow” is. There is the Spit of Vasilyevsky Island. You can also “score the arrow,” that is, challenge your opponent to a serious conversation. And now here comes the championship.

The name is excellent,” states Apinyan. - My brother came up with it.

Over the two years of its existence, its fighting tournaments have gone from a $400 get-together to one of the leading players in the domestic market of mixed martial arts (MMA - from the English Mixed Martial Arts). Eight million views of Strelka videos on YouTube, victory in the World Press Photo competition in the category “Best sports history", which in 2011 went to the organizers of the championship for filming their tournaments, fights on the football lawn of the Petrovsky stadium, the home field of Zenit, a sacred place for St. Petersburg residents - these are just some of the achievements of Apinyan and the company.

The secret of Strelka’s success is that ordinary amateurs can take part in it, including those who have never been involved in fighting at all. And second: “Strelka” is a street championship. Its participants fight in the open air, on sand, grass or bare ground.

This is what sets us apart from traditional MMA tournaments,” says Apinyan. “Their format scares off many viewers: an octagon, people in a cage, blood, everything is scary and gloomy. And our championships are a completely different matter. Sand, blue sky, sun. And the most ordinary people who sometimes show such strength of spirit that one can only be surprised.

At the first Strelka, held in the summer of 2011, a 40-year-old mustachioed man entered the fight. Compared to the others, he seemed like a grandfather. The man's name was Alexander Reze, he was an accountant. In the next ten minutes, the “grandfather” gave a real fight to an opponent half his age and in the end won. According to the regulations, fights at Strelka do not have a time limit: they go on until one of the fighters gives up or until the referee stops the fight. The record fight in the history of the championship lasted 40 minutes without a break. Everything else is like in classic MMA. The fighters have pads on their hands, they are allowed to throw punches and kicks and fight on the ground.

I worked with the M-1 company, filming Fedi Emelianenko’s fights. Then he brought equipment and T-shirts from fighting companies to Russia and had a store. At first we thought: we’ll organize our own tournament to sell T-shirts better. But very quickly the fighting pushed the store into the background,” says Apinyan.

Information about the first Strelka was distributed among mixed martial arts sections. Everyone was invited to participate. The location was chosen for the St. Petersburg factory "Red Banner" - it once supplied the country with women's stockings, but is now experiencing better times. An agreement was signed with the factory management to rent land in the yard for a period of one day. Friends brought twelve bags of sand, poured them onto the ground and leveled them. Ship ropes were strung along the perimeter to create a ring. Members of city auto and motorcycle clubs were invited as spectators - free of charge; Strelka began charging money for tickets later. They arrived and created a beautiful background: expensive cars, roaring engines, girls in short shorts. It was just a small matter - film everything on camera and post it on the Internet. All this, according to Apinyan, cost the notorious $400. Moreover, almost half of this amount was promised as a reward to the fighters.

Five people volunteered to fight. And then I said: there are six thousand rubles left, we can divide them into three thousand and have two fights. When these fights ended, people really got excited. They threw a hat at the audience and collected another six thousand. New people immediately appeared who wanted to try themselves in battles.

Over the course of two years, eleven mixed martial arts tournaments were held under the auspices of Strelka. The impudent St. Petersburgers were noticed and taken under the wing by the American company Tron, which specializes in organizing MMA tournaments. Apinyan does not disclose the amount for which the Americans bought the right to manage the fighting tournament in Russia. But judging by his cheerful voice and Napoleonic plans, the deal was right. He continues to organize fights, but as a hired employee of the Americans.

Today Strelka offers franchises to regions. A person in any city in Russia can take advantage of its name, its marketing resources, including a sophisticated website, and host the championship at home. Two years of using the Strelki brand will cost him three million rubles. There have been no takers yet. But they plan to raise the price of the franchise even higher. Because, according to Apinyan, Strelka will continue to develop and become more famous:

There will be no more tournaments in St. Petersburg. We feel confident enough to storm Moscow. And then, if everything goes well, in two or three years we will enter intercontinental development.

Today there are 838 people in line to participate in Strelka battles. This is enough for seven or eight tournaments. Fighters in the championship still don't make money big money, fees for winning rarely exceed three to four thousand rubles. However, this does not at all confuse men who want to try their hand at fighting without rules. They come from different areas, with different fighting qualifications. Once even a prisoner called from prison. He said: “I’ll be out in four months, I want to fight.”

Ali Baba and the robbers

Every week, at least a dozen mixed martial arts championships are held in Russia, in which amateurs can participate. Information about them is distributed in social networks and on the forums of Internet sites dedicated to martial arts, such as koicombat.org or mixfight.ru. The geography of these tournaments is extremely wide. This could be the Serednikovo estate near Moscow, the former estate of the Lermontovs-Stolypins, where in 2011 they held competitions in the toughest version of T-1 fighting. Or city sports complexes, as was the case in Makhachkala, Barnaul, Birobidzhan, Voronezh, Krasnodar and almost any other city in Russia with a population of fifty thousand or more.

Often, fighters are brought to restaurants and nightclubs, where patrons enjoy the fights in a snobbish, Great Gatsby manner, sitting at tables with drinks and food. This was the case, for example, in Kolomna near Moscow.

All together, this means that an impressive number of men for whom fighting is not a profession finish their work on Friday, say goodbye to their colleagues until Monday and go earn extra money with their fists. Or, if they don’t offer money, prove to themselves and the world everything that men usually prove.

Alexander Anisimov is a 30-year-old employee of a road construction company in Vladimir. For his debut in mixed martial arts, he chose the version that one authoritative sports publication called “cannibalistic” - T-1. The "T" stands for "total."

According to T-1 rules, competitors compete in shoes with hard soles. It is allowed to headbutt and finish off the opponent with legs if he does not give up. The organizers wanted the participants to fight with their bare hands, without gloves, but the fighters themselves objected. “Not everyone was ready to overcome the psychological barrier and fight with their bare fists,” says German Lvov, president of the T-1 league and popularizer of absolute fights. So in the end the fighters were allowed to fight in mixfight pads.

One of the participants in the weight category of Alexander Anisimov dropped out of the tournament, first receiving a blow to the nose with his forehead (his nose was broken), and then, while lying on the floor, a kick to the head. Alexander turned out to be more fortunate. He reached the final and only there, caught in a painful hold, lost.

At different times I was involved in hand-to-hand combat and wrestling,” he says. - And then I became interested in weightlifting.

When asked what made him leave his wife and one-and-a-half-year-old son in Vladimir and go to a foreign land to fight, he says: “It became interesting.” However, he immediately adds: “The interest was satisfied.” And, at least in the near future, there will be no more fights in his life.

Interest is what attracts many people to amateur mixfight. However, participating in fights can also be a way to earn money. According to the Russian Pankration Federation (this organization seeks to give mixed martial arts Olympic status), the fee for first place in non-professional tournaments ranges from 30 to 50 thousand rubles across the country. The participants themselves name more modest amounts - 10–20 thousand.

The prize fund is collected from sponsorship money or contributions from the participants themselves. Athletes who fight regularly travel to two or three tournaments a month. If you win at least one of them, and take second place in the other (for which they often give half the amount), minus travel expenses, you will get a “salary” of about a thousand dollars. This is a lot for the province. And if you win more often, you can earn more. But there are no such obvious stars in amateur MMA: the rotation of winners occurs constantly.

The man whose nose was broken on T-1 is called Ali Baba. His real name is Vyacheslav Yurovskikh, he is 40 years old. Having no fixed place of residence and sometimes spending the night at Moscow train stations, Ali Baba wanders from one mixfight tournament to another. He searches for information about them on the Internet: he carries a laptop with him, maintains a page on the website mmablog.ru and often surfs social networks.

Ali Baba is lean, wears a beard, and his broken nose reveals him as a person who has had a hard time in life. A couple of months ago they wrote about him in a sports magazine. He gained a reputation among journalists as a difficult person: he refused interviews to many, including, in his own words, “many television people” and “some filmmakers.”

We have been corresponding on VKontakte for some time. Ali Baba writes from N-sk, his hometown, where I went to visit my parents. He hides the real name of N-sk and calls it “Zasransk”: “This is a black hole. It's all Groundhog Day."

In the 90s, he studied at the journalism department of Moscow State University. There he began to study sambo in the university section. And when life threw him, a provincial, to the sidelines - without a permanent job, without money - it was wrestling that became his main occupation. In mixfight, Ali Baba looks like a bearded spider. He rolls up to his opponent, knits, and tries to take the throw. “Fights are not a fountain,” - this is how he himself speaks of his fights.

VKontakte is one of the few ways to communicate with Ali Baba. “I threw away my phone last November. There is no Skype either,” he writes. He says he doesn't do interviews because he wants to remain himself. He has no sponsors. And in Moscow he is still homeless: “To be completely happy, you don’t have your own corner, or even a room.” I could write a book about myself, there have been proposals, but not yet. In the near future there are tournaments in Rostov-on-Don and Belgorod: “This year I fought almost every weekend.”

Very soon Ali Baba's character makes itself felt. Having learned that he will not be the only hero of the article, he curtails the correspondence. There will be “enough heroes without me,” his last message says.

25-year-old native of the Leningrad region Vyacheslav Kashuba is the complete opposite of Ali Baba. He willingly answers questions, and he is not embarrassed that they are going to write not only about him.

“Mom told me: intellectuals shouldn’t fight!” - Three years ago, Kashuba, an engineer with a specialty in navigation, went on voyages. Sailed to America, Canada, Europe. Then I found out that very close by, in St. Petersburg, they were holding strange fights on the sand - “Strelka”, and sent an application to participate. “They didn’t answer my first letter. The second time they called back, and so my adventure began.”

Today he is known in the world of amateur mixfight under the name Moryachok. Although the sea is long gone: Vyacheslav flaunts a daring mohawk on his head, trains every day and dreams of making professional career in mixed fights. He has four fights at Strelka (three wins, one loss) and experience in other tournaments. So far, he says, mixfight does not generate income. But before his eyes is the glory of UFC tournaments, the main promotion company in MMA.

In the ranks of the UFC are all today's mixedfight stars: black giants Jon Jones and Anderson Silva, curly-haired fighter with African-Korean roots Benson Henderson, light and hard as steel, Chael Sonnen. They all receive five-figure salaries and live the life of real stars. They have broadcasts on cable channels, their own fan sites, and they are recognized in any city in the world. But in order to reach these heights, you need to give all of yourself, all your time. Is he ready for this? Vyacheslav Kashuba is not sure about this. So far he has accomplished the main thing: he overcame himself, went out to fight against opponents who were both more experienced and larger. What was the most difficult thing? He recalls street battles in St. Petersburg: “The most difficult thing was to shovel sand out of my whole body!”

Underground

Illegal fights are a topic that comes up one way or another as soon as we talk about mixfight. When asked “underground fights in Moscow,” the Internet provides links to a series of journalistic reports. All of them are written extremely harshly, are replete with details and, most likely, do not contain a word of truth.

“In the twilight of a nightclub, guys with fists like sledgehammers gather. Losers often leave the arena on stretchers,” writes one author. Another paints an even more sinister atmosphere: “The Moscow police began to discover the corpses of young people. Obviously violent signs of death indicated that the guys were killed in a fight. But where, how and who remained a mystery<…>And after a while it opened terrible truth <…>Underground battles took place in Moscow. Real fights to the death."

In the Investigative Committee database, the only mention of fight victims dates back to 2008. And even then we are not talking about underground battles oh quite official championship. A 16-year-old participant in a karate tournament in Kemerovo died of cardiovascular failure after receiving a blow to the chest. The blow was within the rules; no violations were found in the actions of the doctors. Due to the lack of evidence of a crime, they did not initiate a criminal case.

The existence of bloody underground battles is also denied by the Arbat district police department in the capital. In the late 90s, there were legends about this area: supposedly the most terrible tournaments took place in gambling establishments on Arbat. “If this ever happened, it’s long gone,” says a department employee who asked not to use his last name. “Today we have no data on unofficial fighting tournaments.”

The President of the Russian Pankration Federation, Vladimir Klenshev, agrees with this assessment:

There is more noise around so-called street fighting games than real facts. Yes, we have information about such tournaments. But almost always this is the initiative of teenagers who have seen enough films. It ends with a couple of broken noses, and the next day the teenagers start doing parkour or something else they saw on TV. In other words, none of this is serious.

Main men's work

The boom around amateur mixfight is alarming official organizations.

All these fights lack the main component of the sport - children's sections, systematic, comprehensive work with young people. All I see is the desire to make money,” laments Vladimir Klenshev. - Organizers of amateur tournaments want to protect themselves from liability as much as possible. To the point that they force fighters to sign contracts where they take on all possible risks. Does this sound like what sports should be?

Klenshev suggests following the example of Fedor Emelianenko, the legendary MMA fighter. Everything is right with him, the president believes: Fedor trains young people and, by his own example, guides them in the right sporting direction.

21-year-old Tolgat came to Moscow from Uzbekistan, and, unlike the president of the Pankration Federation, amateur fighting tournaments arouse only enthusiasm for him. Six days a week, Tolgat repairs the sidewalk on Leninsky Prospekt as part of a construction crew. Then, if there is strength left, he goes to the area with the horizontal bars in Neskuchny Garden. MMA fighters generally love horizontal bars. It is believed that they allow you to build muscles in moderation: so that they do not interfere with hand speed. Tolgat carefully folds his T-shirt with the logo of the M-1 promotion company and begins to practice his punches.

In his homeland he studied Thai boxing, not for long - only a year and a half. But in Moscow, he heard, this is enough to be recruited for fights and become a star.

Construction is not my life. This is the second,” Tolgat sums up. - And the main thing is the fight.

One hit. Second. Third. Fiftieth... When his time comes to step into the mixfight cage, he wants to be in shape.

Like Tolgat, other men also practice their blows. They do it in gyms. In the parks. In the hallways while waiting for the elevator. In our own kitchens, while no one sees. They work as programmers, sales managers, freight forwarders, whatever. But the main thing - and even their relatives may not realize this - is not their job. The main thing is the fight.

One hit. Second. Fiftieth…

In 2015, Forbes magazine estimated Ziyavudin Magomedov's fortune at $800 million. He owns the Summa group, which owns 25% of the Novorossiysk commercial sea port, 49.99% of the Fesco transport group, the Transengineering engineering company, the gas producing Yakut fuel and energy company, as well as 50% minus one share of the United Grain Company. Magomed Magomedov, Ziyavudin’s brother, has a stake in a number of Summa’s assets, for example, NCSP and the engineering business.

Eurasia Fight Nights (FN) clearly stands out from the rest of Magomedov’s assets. The businessman became its owner several months ago. The club was founded in 2010 absolute champion world kickboxing Batu Khasikov, vice-president of the Moscow Federation of Mixed Martial Arts MMA Kamil Gadzhiev and captain of the KVN team “RUDN Team” Sangadzhi Tarbaev. Later, the managing director of the Moscow office of the investment bank Goldman Sachs, Sergei Arsenyev, and designer Sergei Shanovich, became co-owners of the club.

What is mixed martial arts

Mixed martial arts (English: Mixed Martial Arts, MMA) is a type of martial arts that is a symbiosis of different martial techniques and schools and answers the question that interests many: “If a boxer and a wrestler meet, who will win?”

Fights in MMA are conducted in full contact; fighters can use both striking and wrestling techniques. A standard fight lasts three rounds of five minutes with breaks of one minute, title fight- five rounds. Fights are held in a “cage” - on an 8x8 m area with a fence that does not allow fighters to leave the ring.

In the early days, MMA tournaments were sometimes promoted as “fights without rules,” which was an advertising slogan and not true. According to a 2015 report by the American Association of Ring Physicians (ARP), professional boxing Over the past 25 years, an average of 4.8 athletes per year have died in the ring, in the UFC (the main American MMA organization) - 0.28 athletes per year for 15 years.

Russia recognized mixed martial arts as an official sport in 2012.

What the Fight Nights club was like as a business before the deal with Magomedov is unclear. According to Kamil Gadzhiev, FN’s annual turnover is 350 million rubles. and even before the deal with Magomedov, the business reached self-sufficiency. But it is impossible to verify his words. In the SPARK-Interfax database, the financial indicators of Fight Knights LLC, whose founders are Khasikov and Gadzhiev, in 2013 and 2014 are completely identical: revenue - 9.517 million rubles, net loss - 18.7 million rubles. Other companies associated with Fight Nights through their founders - Fight Knights Jim, Fight Knights Global, Fight Knights Entertainment, Eurasia Sport and Summa Sport - do not publish reports. In addition, most of them were created in 2013-2014.

What exactly Magomedov bought is also unclear: neither Magomedov himself nor his representatives have commented on how the deal was formalized legally. Taking into account previous investments in the club - this is sponsorship of the club’s fighters, assistance in organizing events and advertising - the transaction amount amounted to “several tens of millions of dollars,” Kamil Gadzhiev told RBC, whose words were confirmed by Magomedov’s representative.

“Summa” is first in the list of “general partners” on the club’s website. The group, for example, sponsored the opening sports club FN in Makhachkala: Magomedov was personally present at the Fight Nights Dagestan tournament. The businessman himself says that he works out several times a week, often at the Moscow Fight Nights club.

Combat Profits

In addition to the club on Kutuzovsky Prospekt, FN has three more - in Elista, Makhachkala and Bryansk. The Moscow club provides training not only in mixed martial arts, but also in boxing, cross-fit and even yoga and Pilates. In the company's online store you can order clothes and sports accessories with FN logos and autographs of stars for delivery. But the main business of Fight Nights is organizing mixed martial arts fights: in 2014, FN fighters took part in five fights, in 2015 - in nine (including in St. Petersburg, Sochi and Kaspiysk). Fight Nights also held its own club championship in Moscow.

The club’s main income, according to Gadzhiev, comes from ticket sales, television broadcasts and advertising. Tickets for the final FN event “Battle 20” at Luzhniki on December 11 cost from 1 thousand to 70 thousand rubles. To seats in the stalls at a price of 5 thousand rubles. “two master classes with the champion” were also included. According to Gadzhiev, previous events of this level managed to attract 6-7 thousand spectators, that is, FN will be able to earn about 15-20 million rubles from tickets. But expenses 
 for the organization This will not cover the event - it costs no less than 30 million rubles, admits Gadzhiev.

At the fight between Russian Mikhail Mokhnatkin and Brazilian Ednaldo Oliveira, organized by Fight Nights, on October 23 in St. Petersburg Ice Palace 6 thousand tickets were sold, says Gadzhiev. Revenue from ticket sales is unlikely to cover 30% of total costs, with the rest theoretically covered by television broadcasts and advertising. In addition to broadcasts on Match TV, all top FN fights are broadcast on the Internet for a fee, jointly with Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) channel UFC Fight Pass - viewing cost averages $10 per evening. Match TV does not comment on the conditions under which the channel broadcasts fights.

The world's largest MMA promoter, the American UFC, holds about 40 fights a year not only in North and Latin America, but also in Europe, Australia and the UAE. For spectators, this is not a cheap entertainment: for example, for the Aldo vs. McGregor fight on December 12 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, at the time of writing this material, tickets could be purchased for $505 to $6,900. At the same time, the UFC cannot boast of high business profitability.

UFC is superior

The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is a promotion company from the United States, the world's largest organizer of MMA fights. Initially, it was an experimental, one-time championship. But the success of the first tournament in Denver in 1993 inspired businessman Art Davey and Brazilian jiu-jitsu school teacher Rorion Gracie to create their own company. In 2001, the company was acquired for $2 million by the Fertitta brothers, owners of the Station Casinos casino chain. Boxing promoter Dana White (pictured) became the general producer and president of the UFC.

The Fertitta brothers bought and merged most of the world's competitors into the UFC, including Pride Fighting Championships. The annual turnover of Zuffa, the parent company of the UFC, is, according to various estimates, from $250 million to $350 million. According to Forbes magazine, this is 90% of all global revenue in the MMA industry.

According to S&P, up to 75% of the company's revenue comes from the sale of television rights. According to the Zuffa report for 2014, the company's revenue amounted to $554 million. According to S&P, the company's EBITDA has been declining since 2010, which is associated with high costs for the acquisition of competitors and foreign activities. Zuffa's debt is about $450 million. At the beginning of 2015, S&P predicted a decline in EBITDA by another 40% and downgraded Zuffa's rating to BB-.

If business is not going very well for the world's largest promoter of mixed martial arts fights, what can Fight Nights, a very small club compared to the UFC, count on? Magomedov’s investment will “contribute to the expansion of FN’s business,” Gadzhiev says. In addition to increasing the level of events and broadcasting, FN wants to focus its main efforts on marketing and audience building. This means more advertising, including outdoor advertising. Gadzhiev believes that “she performs well in the regions.”

But for real commercial success sporting events spectators are needed not only in stadiums, but also at the screens, then the audience becomes of interest to large advertisers, and TV channels are ready to pay for broadcast rights. The UFC's television audience reaches 800 million people a year - you can watch fights not only on TV, but also on the Internet (a monthly subscription costs €7.99). In 2011, the UFC signed a seven-year television deal with Fox Sports. Its amount, according to the newspaper The Telegraph, $700 million

Ziyavudin Magomedov: “Growing up on the streets of Makhachkala is a sport in itself” (Photo: Yuri Chichikov, Anna Sergeeva for RBC)

Stars and money

In Russia, Match TV began broadcasting top UFC fights in the fall; before that, they were shown by the Rossiya 2 channel. “The UFC format is certainly in demand; MMA has its own steadily growing audience in our country,” says a representative of Match TV. The fight between six-time UFC champion Ronda Rousey and title challenger Holly Holm on November 16 on Match TV was watched by 5.8% of male viewers aged 25-59. “The numbers clearly demonstrated the potential of such a product,” notes a representative of the channel, but he does not want to talk about the possible prospects of broadcasting Fight Nights fights.

FN's main Russian competitor is the promotion company M-1 Global. Its founder and largest co-owner Vadim Finkelshtein said in an interview with RBC that he is not at all sure that broadcasting mixed martial arts on Russian TV is a source of income and not additional costs. According to him, TV channels either do not pay for broadcast rights at all or pay very little. And for spectators, the image of mixed martial arts is blurred, due to the fact that MMA itself in Russia does not have a clear sports structure and almost anyone can open their own federation. “The viewer no longer remembers their heroes and is not ready to pay for viewing,” notes Finkelstein.

But FN believes that world-class events with the participation of Russian athletes will be of interest to both viewers and federal channels. “Ideally, the regions will each root for their fighters; the public there is very open and interested. Yes, advertising will be needed, but these will be our stars,” says Gadzhiev.

It takes an average of three years and $1-2 million to promote one athlete to the level of a media personality that the audience will follow, says Gadzhiev. For a major event there should be at least four such fighters. Tournament grid FN doesn't, so a top event is one or two star-studded headlining fights, a few mid-level fights, and an entertainment show with singers, performers, and dancers. It will be difficult to “beat them off” only by selling broadcast rights, says an analyst at a large agency specializing in sports advertising. “If some federal channel buys this broadcast, then even for a top fight it will cost more than 3 million rubles. no one will pay,” he believes.

Combat Economy

$5 million- UFC record fee, according to Dana White (recipient unknown)

$180 000 — Holly Holm's fee for defeating Ronda Rousey, November 2015

$24 500 — average UFC fighter fee per fight

$50 — the price of a paid subscription to broadcast a top fight

Sources: The Economist, UFC

The only chance to at least recoup the costs of organizing a show is to sell sponsorship and advertising packages. In this sense, MMA has good prospects, says Anton Efimov, managing director of the OMD Fuse advertising agency: “Their main target audience is men who watch them on television, and men with high incomes - this is the core of the audience attending competitions, and this is a stable marketing platform for brands that want to build an association with strength and courage.” Taking this into account, the cost of an advertising package for such a show can be from 10 million rubles. and higher within one evening, Efimov calculates. But there is another problem, he notes: “In martial arts there is no constant schedule, like in football or hockey, and it is very difficult to draw up a map for a partnership even for a year.”

A representative of another major advertising agency does not even share this modest optimism: “In Russia, even football broadcasts have an audience that is not always large enough to advertise there. And MMA is unlikely to attract serious money.” In his opinion, FN, UFC and other similar organizations do not open their financial statements because this will make it obvious to everyone that “there is no income, there is only turnover.” The only chance for a promoter in this sense is a large sponsorship contract, in which the advertiser will be interested not only in the size of the audience, but also in the image component of the sport itself, adds a representative of the advertising agency.

In 2015, the UFC signed the largest sponsorship contract in its 21-year history: Reebok will pay $70 million over six years for the right to become the official supplier of equipment. This year's list of sponsors includes Harley-Davidson motorcycles, Bud Light beer, Toyo tires, etc. Ideally, Fight Nights should sign such a contract, but for now FN is considering the previous stage of UFC development - the launch of its own reality show.

The Ultimate Fighter show on American TV began in 2005. In the first episodes of the show, 16 fighters from two teams compete with each other, viewers can follow their training and details everyday life. The losers are eliminated, and in the season finale, two fighters fight for the title of The Ultimate Fighter and a major contract in the UFC. The start of the new season in September 2015 was watched by 745 thousand viewers. The show allowed the UFC not only to expand its television audience, but also to change it, said UFC head Dana White: “When we bought this company, our main audience was men from 18 to 34 years old. After the release of The Ultimate Fighter<…>women make up 45% of our viewers.”

“If we really want to gain a critical mass of spectators, our fights should become a family spectacle, including for women,” agrees Gadzhiev. FN does not yet have a specific launch date for the show. A Match TV representative declined to comment on this idea.

Training of fighters from the Moscow club Fight Nights (Photo: Yuri Chichikov, Anna Sergeeva for RBC)

"Images of Heroes"

Home Russian star mixed martial artist Fedor Emelianenko was never able to agree on performances in the UFC. But in the American organization there are fighters from Russia, for example Khabib Nurmagomedov and Rustam Khabilov. Training fighters of this level is also a type of income that the co-owners of FN count on.

“We are no longer only a promotion company, but also a base, a kind of sports incubator for top fighters that trains world-class MMA stars,” says Gadzhiev. While FN does not supply fighters to the UFC, the same Minakov, who won the MMA championship belt according to the American version of Bellator, is the first candidate. “In the UFC, our lightweight Ali Bagautinov plays a leading role. I think that in a couple of years, our other athletes, such as Volodya Mineev and Sergey Pavlovich, could perform successfully in the UFC, and they will strive for this,” says Magomedov.

The Last Emperor

The most titled Russian mixed martial arts fighter is 39-year-old resident of Stary Oskol, Fedor Emelianenko, nicknamed The Last Emperor. 
 He holds the titles of four-time MMA heavyweight world champion according to Pride FC, two-time - according to RINGS and according to WAMMA. Attempts to negotiate about Fedor's performance in the UFC were unsuccessful.

In the summer of 2015, Emelianenko announced his return to the ring after a three-year pause: the first the fight will take place On December 31 in Japan, it will be held by the local MMA organization Rizin Fighting Federation. Fedor’s opponent will be 28-year-old Jaideep Singh.

Fedor Emelianenko fights

34 victories (ten by knockout, 18 by voluntary surrender)

4 defeats (three by knockout, one by voluntary surrender)

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 conspiracy. 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. Didn't exist in the distant past weight categories, and the battles 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.

Fights without rules, also called MMA and mixed martial arts, are brutal and spectacular. They combine large number techniques, schools and styles of martial arts, which makes each fight diverse and unique. This sport has its own strict rules.

History of fights without rules

The idea of ​​holding such competitions was invented during antiquity. The first version of mixed martial arts was called "pankration", and it was presented at Olympic Games. These fights were extremely brutal and often ended in death. Fighting without rules received a new round of development thanks to the Gracie family, who practiced jiu-jitsu, but few believed in the effectiveness of this martial art. As a result, they had to fight with fighters from other types of martial arts, demonstrating their skills.

The history of mixed martial arts is multifaceted and confusing. Interestingly, MMA fights without rules began to be called relatively recently, but since 1995. This was done by Rick Blum, who was the president of one of the first MMA organizations (Mixed Martial Arts). The name quickly spread and took root in many countries. In Russia, fighting began to develop in 1979. Ratings are regularly compiled, which include best knockouts in fights without rules for different periods.

MMA Rules

Although this type of martial arts is called “fighting without rules,” restrictions still exist and relate to many aspects:

1. Equipment. The main clothing is shorts, which are selected by the fighter to his taste. In most cases, shoes are not used. In addition, athletes wear open-fingered gloves. Mandatory elements are a mouthguard and groin equipment.
2. Rounds. Fights include several rounds, which usually last 5 minutes, but without a break. There are organizations that reduce the time to 3 minutes. Regular fights usually involve three rounds, while championship matches involve five.
3. Technique. Fighters use overhead strikes and lower limbs, and also different techniques. There are strikes in no-rules combat that are prohibited; they will be discussed below.
4. Ring and arena. The square ring area should be between 6.1 m and 9.75 m on a side. The floor should have closed cell foam flooring. The platform should not be higher than 1.22 m. As for the arena, it can be round or have six equal sides. Its width should be from 6.1 m to 9.75 m.

Fights without rules are allowed different ways, thanks to which you can win the fight:

1. Submission. The opponent can surrender, for which he must knock several times on the opponent or on the mat.
2. Knockout. As a result of the fight, the athlete loses consciousness and cannot move. This happens after an accurate hit or throw.
3. Technical submission. Victory is awarded when a fighter loses consciousness due to a technique performed (usually a choke). The referee stops the fight.
4. TKO. The decision to stop the fight is made by the referee when he sees that a person can no longer defend himself while receiving serious blows from his opponent.
5. If one of the above options was not used, the winner will be determined by the judges.

Athletes taking part in demonstration performances or in competitions, are divided into certain categories according to their age. Fights without rules of heavyweights and people with light weights are allowed, the table is presented below. It is worth noting that some MMA organizations do not have weight classes up to 145 or over 265 pounds. After the official weigh-in, if there is an overweight, the weight that will be dropped by the fighter must not be more than two feet. The reset should occur one hour after weighing, no later.

Fighting without rules - what is prohibited?

There is a certain list of prohibitions regarding this type of martial arts, for example, it is forbidden to enter the ring without protection: mouthguards and shells. The referee must check this. Athletes cannot use doping, this also applies anabolic steroids, and drugs. There have been recorded cases where athletes caught taking prohibited substances were disqualified for a long time. Knockouts in fights without rules cannot be caused by the following prohibited techniques:

• blows with the head and heels to the kidneys and spine;
• bites and blows to the back of the head;
• effects on the throat, trachea and groin area;
• deliberately striking the nostrils, ears and mouth;
• beating a lying person.

Fighting without rules - lethal outcome

Many people perceive this sport as “bloody”, but in fact, according to published information, since 1993, there have been only four cases where injuries received during a fight caused death. It is worth pointing out that in two cases a fight without rules with fatal was unauthorized.

1. In 1998, in Kyiv, American Douglas Dage took part in an illegal battle, and two days later he died.
2. In 2005 in South Korea There was a fight without rules in the restaurant, in which a man surnamed Li participated. He died due to a heart attack.
3. In 2007, in Houston, Sam Vasquez took part in a fight, as a result of which he was knocked out. He was hospitalized and underwent two operations to remove blood clots in the brain, but the man never woke up.
4. In 2010 in South Carolina, after a knockout, Michael Kirkham did not come to his senses.

If we talk about ordinary street fights, then in most cases they last no more than five minutes and often result in injury or even death to opponents. A street fight without rules arises from various reasons. In addition, it is worth talking about organized, but illegal street fighting, whose main goal is to make money. Often fights are life-or-death.

Women's fights without rules

Not only men, but also representatives of the fair sex take part in this sport. Fighting with women without rules is especially popular in Japan, where the “Pearls” and “Valkyrie” tournaments have been held since 2000. Women's martial arts are also developing in America, but there they do not attract the same attention from sponsors as men's sparring. The most popular in women's MMA are Gina Carano and Christian Santos, with the former being the face of women's MMA fighting. There are no relaxations in the rules for the fair sex.

Ultimate fights in movies

This theme is actively used in cinema, so films about ultimate fights are presented in a wide range, here are a few of them: