Bare-knuckle fighting has drawn significant attention as of late. It is regarded as the wilder brother of MMA and boxing, and it has just gotten wilder, thanks to the usual suspects of outlandish combat sports phenomena: Russia. A clip of bare-knuckle fights has been making the rounds on X/Twitter, but there’s a twist.
The fighters in question are not competing in a ring or cage. Instead, it is bare-fisted MMA taking part on top of a shipping container suspended 20 feet above a lake. Naturally, the sport drew a wide range of reactions online, with fans flocking to the tweet to share their thoughts.
Check out the bizarre fights:
One fan suggested heightening the stakes of the fights, jokingly calling for alligators to be introduced to the lake for an extra element of danger.
“They need gators in the water.”
Others joked about the odd range of venues Russian combat sports have found a way to use.
“Telephone booth boxing, car boxing, now this? Russians ready to fight anywhere”
Some, though, contested that the reported height of 20 feet was accurate.
“That’s like 6 feet”
Most of the comments, though, were made in astonishment, with one fan joking that it was better than the UFC.
“This is better than the UFC”
A collage of fan reactions can be seen below:
There appears to be no limit to the outlandish lengths Russian combat sports will go to differentiate itself from all other forms. Unfortunately, fights on a shipping container above a lake are likely to remain a novelty.
Bare-knuckle fighting has experienced a recent surge in popularity
Bare-knuckle fighting is still largely regarded as a niche without much of an audience in combat sports. However, it has become more prominent with the rise of Mike Perry as the de facto face of BKFC. Meanwhile, former UFC double champion Conor McGregor is now a part-owner of BKFC.
Due to his massive popularity, it has only drawn more attention to the sport. Other fighters have founded their own bare-knuckle fighting promotions, with Jorge Masvidal launching the Gamebred Fighting Championship.