Not only is there fighting in the boxing ring, but also chess. If one round is still about the knock-out, you now have to prepare for checkmate. Others fight in the confined space of a phone booth or on a shipping container floating over a lake. A woman fights against a severely obese man, young people in particular fight against notably old people, influencers fight against professional boxers. So-called freak fights have become a big thing in sports in recent years. sometimes they take place with the participation of prominent names, sometimes with complete strangers – the main thing is that the whole thing is somehow unconventional.
After the sport of MMA, in which various martial arts are mixed together, began to professionalize in the mid-2000s and reached the mainstream at the end of the decade, numerous new martial arts wanted to benefit from its popularity.
This is how 2008 came about “XARM”,a crude mixture of arm wrestling and simultaneous punching,kicking and wrestling. In the same year “YAMMA Pit Fighting” his debut, a copy of the sport of MMA with a similar set of rules, except that the organization added a hollow to the round cage. Both the hybrid arm wrestling and the cage with a pit failed miserably. But new contact sports have long since been invented.
Today the sports league is advertising „armored MMA” with “medieval cage fights” and delivers exactly that: fighters in plate armor and helmets who not only strike with sword and shield, but also with hands and feet. the “Pillow Fighting Championship”The approach is less martial and rather of using their fists, the opponents hit each other with pillows in the boxing ring. In „Power Slap”a side project of Dana White, who has led the UFC to become a leader in the MMA scene, men and women take turns giving each other hard slaps until someone goes down.
The struggles of the “CarJitsu Championship” begin – as the name suggests – in a vehicle and end as soon as someone is brought into a confined space with a task handle to be patted down. Especially the “Bare Knuckle Championship” has had a resounding success with its concept – boxing without gloves.## The Rise of “Freak Fights” and the Prioritization of Virality Over Safety
A recent trend in combat sports involves pitting well-known figures, often from outside the conventional boxing world, against each other in events designed for viral moments rather than athletic competition. A prime exmaple is [a recent fight featuring the former strongest man in the world, at 1.91 meters, against two much smaller influencers](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpBmLSPpPys). This phenomenon highlights a shift towards prioritizing short-term reach and sponsorship opportunities over the development of genuine sporting talent and, crucially, the safety of participants.### The Pursuit of Virality and Short-Term Gains
The internet is saturated with short clips from these events, but full fight coverage often receives less attention. This is intentional. Many organizations are structured to capitalize on “virality, speedy clicks and reach,” aiming to attract sponsors with impressive, though frequently enough inflated, numbers. Rather than investing in cultivating their own stars over time, they leverage existing fame, packaging recognizable names into increasingly sensational contests. This strategy has fueled the growth of “celebrity boxing” and similar events.
The increasing participation of influencers from reality television and other industries, such as the recent “Fame Fighting” event in Essen, Germany, organized in part by *Bild*, underscores the fleeting nature of this market. The focus is on maximizing reach while it lasts, with attention-grabbing pairings and unconventional approaches. Social media amplifies these events, spreading them rapidly through networks, driven by both fans and those simply intrigued by the spectacle. The core issue isn’t necessarily the brutality of the sporting element itself – if it can even be called that – but rather the widespread *distribution* of these events.
### Mounting Safety Concerns
The pursuit of spectacle often comes at a meaningful cost to participant health. The dangers are increasingly apparent. Boxer Justin Thornton tragically [died in 2021 from injuries sustained in a bare-knuckle fight](https://www.espn.com/boxing/story/_/id/32849991/boxer-justin-thornton-dies-bare-knuckle-fight) with the BKFC organization. Neurologists have warned that “power slap” competitions are virtually guaranteed to cause concussions. Even high-profile events,like the 2023 exhibition match between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul,required [extensive medical evaluations for tyson](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/sports/mike-tyson-jake-paul-fight-medical-concerns-rcna96491) due to the significant age difference and potential for cardiac issues.
Experts fear that these “freak fights” will inevitably led to further injuries and fatalities,as the financial incentives frequently enough outweigh concerns for the well-being of those involved. The capital-oriented forces behind these events appear largely unconcerned with the long-term health consequences for the fighters.