Latest news with #bareknucklefighting
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Real-life 'Slap Shot': Inside the unbridled chaos of Ice Wars, BKFC's push into organized hockey fights
MT. PLEASANT, Mich. — The fictional hockey world had the Hanson brothers, a bespectacled trio who came to the Charlestown Chiefs from the North American Hockey League, where gooning it up was a way of life. The nonfictional Ice Wars, which came into existence with its first-ever event this past Saturday at the Soaring Eagle Resort and Casino in the middle of central Michigan, has the LaPorte brothers, Nick and Will, 6-foot-6 hockey specimens who throw hands more for simple pleasure. It was a wild scene in Mt. Pleasant for the inaugural event, which functioned as an arm of the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC). It had been dubbed Ice Wars: Battle of the Border. The center of the action was a miniature 800-square foot rink, known as the Ice Box, enclosed by pliable wooden boards. Along the side sat the VIPs, who were close enough to the action at times to whisper sweet nothings into the bleeding ears of the combatants. The ice lay like a sheet of porcelain, virginal in its whiteness, yet ominous too — as if quietly anticipating a crime scene. Advertisement In fact, if you looked closely, you'd see that it wasn't ice at all; it was 'synthetic ice,' which is an elegant way of saying plastic. The only thing frozen in the room were the daiquiris up top. Had a Zamboni come through it would have wrecked the whole rig. Each one of the 20 total fighters — half of them Canadians, the other half American — made the walk across a stage and through fountains of shooting sparks. They wore blade protectors on their skates, which they slipped out of as they pulled up ice-side, the way UFC fighters remove their shirts. The referees, sporting helmets and striped shirts just like you'd see in an NHL game, made the scene almost comical. All the familiarity of hockey with nary a puck or a stick in sight. Ice Wars super heavyweight Catlin Big Snake skates for his bout against Zach Hughes. (Photo via RGBTV Photography) The fighters wore gaudy yellow hockey jerseys, which could be spotted from the nosebleeds easy enough. Not that there were nosebleeds. The ballroom was intimate, with a seating capacity just over 2,000, and more than 1,800 of those seats filled with curious onlookers, many of whom delighted in the novel approach of taking the game of hockey out of the fighting. Advertisement 'I've had fights in MMA, and this is the most fun fighting I've ever had in my life,' the super heavyweight Zach Hughes told me perhaps 45 minutes after he got flattened by Catlin Big Snake, a.k.a. 'The Chief,' a slab of humanity from Alberta who not so long ago dressed for the Monroe Moccasins of the Western Professional Hockey League. 'All the guys here are great. Me and 'Chief' have already been sitting here bulls***ing after the fight.' The founder of Ice Wars, Charlie Nama, warned me that it's a different vibe than other combat sports. That the guys who were swinging hammers at each other's heads would be drinking beers together within an hour of the stitches being cinched. He wasn't wrong. The bar was full of barroom brawlers who just happen to know how to skate, most of them based north of the Great Lakes. Many of them had lush playoff beards too, even if the closest playoff team to Mt. Pleasant was over a thousand miles away in Edmonton. After each introduction, the players skated forward in the Ice Box, circling each other just like you'd seen when they drop gloves in the sanctioned hockey world. You could feel the spirit of 'Tie Domi' bouncing off the walls. Then they'd start swinging, which can be exhilarating for an offshoot combat sport that isn't entirely sanctioned. In fact, it's not sanctioned at all! Advertisement (Except for in Wyoming.) Nobody was losing time thinking about taboos or niches, though, because the rounds are 90-second affairs, and this is an action league. The fighters would grab a fistful of jersey, then jostle each other toward their incoming fists. Lots of jerking, twisting and thrashing, a sadistic little tango. The fists crashing off of helmets fast and furious. Uppercuts finding a home for those who tried to plant their head into a chest. Short, quick punches, looping right hands. Guys wincing, skating off with dangling arms. Holding their rib cages from unexpected body shots, or from crashing into the synthetic ice. There was blood which had to be squeegeed off from time to time. Advertisement If there was a surprise, it was that the first three fights all went to decisions, because the idea of Ice Wars is to create knockouts. Viral knockouts. The kind of thing that might grab attention when sliding down a scroll. The first finish came when Nick LaPorte, one of the twins who happens to be a cast member on the Canadian television show 'Shoresy,' scored a TKO over Matt 'Dunner' Dunn. The crowd let up a tremendous roar as he got his hand raised. LaPorte had predicted to me he'd finish his opponent in 11 seconds the night prior while crushing a pizza at the Soaring Eagle food court, which turned out to be ambitious. As it stood, he did so in just under a minute. 'The ice was a little tougher than I thought,' Laporte said afterward, showing me a fun cartoon graphic he'd made which said 'Dunn in One' on his phone. 'I had to get moving around a bit just to get a little bit more of an edge. After that, nah, it went exactly as I thought it would. I thought it was going to be quick and it went exactly like I thought.' Nick LaPorte comforts Matt Dunn after knocking him out. (Photo via RGBTV Photography) As for the judges, three of them sat at opposite corners of the Ice Box. There was four-time Stanley Cup champion Darren McCarty of the Detroit Red Wings, who had a stringy Layne Staley-like braid in his beard (which was pink). McCarty made a name for himself when he made Claude Lemieux turtle up in a fight at Joe Louis Arena. At one point, when a kid named Andre Thibault from the French-Canadian league (a veteran of hundreds of fights) shoved Elias Thompson's head over the boards near where McCarty was stationed, the Detroit legend turned and gave an approving nod to his fellow judge sitting down the way. Advertisement That would be Jon 'Nasty' Mirasty, one of the meanest SOBs to ever play hockey. He was notorious for laughing during his fights, which were plenty. He spent time on the Danbury Thrashers, a minor league team which inspired a documentary about the style of play (fights, fights and more fights). He was still rocking his traditional mohawk, and his nose lay a little crooked across his face. The last judge was Frank 'The Animal' Bialowas, who racked up his share of penalty minutes too. He played four games for Toronto Maple Leafs and had 12 penalty minutes. In 1993 alone, he had 352 penalty minutes while playing with the St. John's Maple Leafs. 'I've fought everybody there is,' he told me. And when I inquired about the scoring criteria, well, let's just say it's based more on expert gut feeling than anything scientific. There is no 10-point must system in Ice Wars. That kind of thing bores the hell out of enforcers on the ice. The fights are judged as whole, rather than round-by-round. 'You just know who won,' Bialowas told me when elaborating. 'You can tell.' Will LaPorte downs James Brooks in Ice Wars' debut main event. (Photo via RGBTV Photography) Were there moments when Ice Wars felt like a smoker show? Sure. There was a fog layer hanging over the synthetic ice surface, and there were a few 'kick his ass Seabass' and 'U.S.A' chants to be heard. The low-rent nature of a first show wasn't without charm. And there was royalty there, too. Thomas 'Hitman' Hearns — the 'Motor City Cobra' himself — sat up close to the action, watching a subgenre of the fight game find out if it has any legs. Advertisement What was the man who stood toe-to-toe with Marvin Hagler in one of the greatest boxing matches of our lifetimes thinking as jerseies were being pulled over heads? The only thing he'd offer was a gentle smile. And in the end, it was a fight between Bay City's own Ryan Snobeck and Alex Marchisell — or 'Marchy' as he's known up in the Great White North — that whipped the crowd into a frenzy. Snobeck had showed up in a patriotic speedo for the weigh-ins, so you knew he meant business. He and "Marchy" latched on and swung at range, mercilessly, absorbing whatever the other was willing to dish out. The entire crowd stood. The commentary team of former UFC fighters Ian Heinisch and Chris Camozzi provided the soundtrack, as their play-by-play boomed over the speakers for everyone to hear. Including the principals themselves, who just kept slamming fists into the meat spots. It was a frenzied moment that perhaps showed the potential of what Ice Wars could be if enough caution is thrown to the wind. Advertisement 'I had 52 friends show up,' Snobeck told me after. 'I had a high-school cheering section, and I did each of their tickets individually at the will call. I even did the seating chart for them. I wanted everybody to sit next to somebody that they enjoyed. I took a lot of pride in this whole thing. Ryan Snobeck celebrates after his wild win over Alex Marchisell. (Photo via RGBTV Photography) 'And when I met Alex, which I believe was Friday during the whole weigh-in, I said, 'let's put on a great show and throw punches,' and we shook each other's hand and that was it. That was it.' Can Ice Wars catch on? It's too early to tell, but the first show had its moments. One of my favorites was when Camozzi brought his BKFC belt over to face off with Esteban Rodriguez, and things got physical. Each fighter began leaning into the other, like linemen colliding at the line of scrimmage, and they were putting hands on each other with a shared thought running between them as the tussle dragged on — is somebody going to break this up? Advertisement It turned out, no, nobody was going to break it up. Everybody just stood and watched. They tussled for at least 20 to 30 seconds, an eternity, with Camozzi at one point putting his hand around Rodriguez's neck. Each looked around for the intervention. Finally, somebody did step in, but it was a classic moment of a fledgling show. Some of the kinks will need to be worked out. Saturday's event will debut on the BKFC app this Wednesday, June 18. The second card will take place in Alberta in two weeks. In a couple of months, Ice Wars will have a show in Tampa, which they promise will be the first with real ice. After all, you can't be the Ice Wars if you're fighting on plastic. Ice is central to the equation. And so are the cult figures. The fictional world of hockey had the Hanson brothers, who put foil on their knuckles and roughed up vending machines. If Ice Wars can produce anything like the real-life equivalent? Well, that's what Charlie Nama and company are hoping to find out.
Daily Mail
04-06-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
Anthony Albanese joins calls to axe ultra-violent Aussie fighting event featuring 181kg man mountain who was jailed for robbing a drug dealer
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has weighed in on a debate surrounding plans to host a bare-knuckle fight night at the RAC Arena in Perth. The Bare Knuckle Fight Championship, which is co-owned by Conor McGregor, is due to land in Western Australia on July 19. Organisers announced the first two fights for its main card on Wednesday night which will see Ben Rothwell, a 274lbs former UFC fighter who has a 4-0-0 record, come up against man mountain and strongman Alex Simon - who broke multiple Australian records for powerlifting. Tassie fighter Bec Rawlings, the competition's first-ever female champion, is due to go head-to-head with Canadian Jade Masson-Wong. Mr Albanese, though, is one who has expressed concerns over the event, after the Australian Medical Association appeared to criticise the event while WA opposition also blasted the event. Prime Minister Albanese also appeared to express his concerns on Wednesday morning. 'A bit of common sense you've got to look after people's health a bit and maybe save people from themselves,' the Prime Minister said to Triple M's breakfast show. Albanese also referenced the issue of concussion when pressed on his thoughts on the sport, noting that he had a meeting with legendary footballer Mark Carroll last week over how the issue has been impacting himself and his friends. 'It's a bit crazy,' Albanese said in reference to the event. 'And concussion is such a big issue - AFL and rugby league. He added: 'I just think we've got to be much more conscious about health issues.' Meanwhile, The Australian Medical Association has also been critical of the event. 'We have a domestic violence crisis; we have people sorting out their problems with their fists in Northbridge on Saturday night; this is not the type of example our community needs,' Michael Page, the Australian Medical Association's WA president, said to Channel Nine News Perth. 'We have so many fantastic other sports, so many opportunities for tourism and entertainment in our community, we don't need this type of race to the bottom with bloody violence.' The rules of the competition state that fighters are required to have their knuckles bare of any gloves or protective equipment during the fight, which will last five two-minute rounds. Meanwhile, the WA opposition has called on Premier Roger Cook to 'show some leadership and prevent this morally repugnant event'. Cook responded: 'I can appreciate that, to the layperson, this sounds like people just getting in a ring and having a go. It is not. 'It is not my cup of tea, but the Combat Sports Commission has provided preliminary advice that anything of this nature requires at least two medical practitioners and requires the participants to be experienced and knowledgeable of the particular discipline.' The Combat Sports Commission are currently assessing permits for the event, with a final deadline on a decision to be due by the end of this week. Sports Minister Rita Saffioti explained she would not intervene to cancel the event. 'The advice to me is that with very strict protocols and criteria that the event, if the organiser were to meet that, that it could be conducted in WA,' she said. However, organisers are beginning to announce the main cards for the July 19 fight night, which suggests there may be some confidence that the event will go ahead. Australian, Simon, a champion powerlifter and mixed martial arts fighter, is now due to meet current heavyweight champion Rothwell in the event in what will be an inaugural super heavyweight title match for competitors over 120kg. The weightlifter has previously opened up on how he had also previously spent some time in prison. 'Pretty much we robbed a drug dealer, but it was like a home invasion and it was armed,' the weightlifter told The Secrets of The Underworld Podcast last month. A former Bikie gang member, Matthew Floyd, is understood to have sought a permit from the WA Combat Sports Commission, according to The West Australian.
News.com.au
03-06-2025
- Health
- News.com.au
WA Sports Minister Rota Saffioti will not overrule bare knuckle boxing competition amid health concerns
The West Australian government has been warned by concerned health advocates that it will be responsible for any deaths if a bare knuckle fighting event goes ahead in Perth. WA Sports Minister Rita Saffioti has declared she will not intervene to stop the Promotion Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship from coming Down Under if it's given the all clear from the state's Combat Sports Commission (CSC). 'The event has to be sanctioned by the Combat Sports Commission … there's two stages of this,' she said. 'This was the first, whether the sport can be allowed in the state, and that was something that has been signed off by the previous minister. 'And then there's the actual event … what the proponents have to do is put forward to the CSC what is involved and then the commission either approves or doesn't approve it.' Ms Saffioti said she was aware that although not everyone enjoyed combat sports, it was more important to ensure the sport could be regulated. 'If you don't regulate, then things go underground and it's much less safe for the competitors,' she told Perth Today's Simon Beaumont. 'It's not my cup of tea, but similar to the discussion and the debate around cage fighting or the octagon, MMA and UFC, similar arguments were put forward … but all I can do is take the advice of the board and the team that's been appointed to give me this advice. 'I take the advice of the Combat Sports Commission seriously. They've gone in, they've created some additional regulations in relation to safety.' 'As I said, it's now up to the promoter of the event to make sure they satisfy all the regulations and rules that the Combat Sport Commission have put in place.' Regulations imposed include the presence of medical practitioners onsite and ringside. 'The advice is that they believe with the level of regulations they've imposed that it can be undertaken safely in WA,' Ms Saffioti said. Health advocates warn that a death during the event will leave the state government with bloody hands. In 2021, American bare knuckle fighter Justin Thornton died in hospital more than six weeks after suffering a horrific knockout. Just 38, Thornton collapsed after taking several vicious blows to the head and face during the first round of a championship fixture in Mississippi. His injuries left him partially paralysed, requiring assistance breathing, and he suffered an infection in his lungs and spinal cord. Australia Medical Association WA president Michael Page told 7News that the government was only 'taking the advice that they want to take'. 'They're not taking any advice from society, they're not taking advice from us, they're not taking any advice from anyone in our community,' he said. 'Our government has the ability to stop this from happening and if there is a death during the event then of course that falls at the feet of our government that's made this decision.' The event, pending approval, is set to go ahead on July 19.
ABC News
30-05-2025
- Health
- ABC News
Proposed bare-knuckle boxing match in Perth sparks debate
The WA Combat Sports Commission says it has received a preliminary application to hold a bare-knuckle fight in Perth, understood to be planned for July. The commission, part of the Department of Local Government, Sport and Creative Industries, has responsibility for the regulation of all so-called combat sports, including boxing, kickboxing and mixed martial arts. Chair of the commission, former WA health minister Bob Kucera, told Nadia Mitsopoulos on ABC Radio Perth the commission first received an application for bare-knuckle fighting to be approved as a contact sport about six months ago. He said the commission subsequently developed a set of rules fight promoters would have to comply with. "In conjunction with … the combat sports industry, we put together a set of rules which went up to the previous [sports] minister, Minister Templeman, for approval," he said. "They were approved. He said permits had to comply with this particular set of rules. "The rules here are very different to the other [combat] sports because in this particular discipline … they don't have any padding on their hands," he said. "And the only strikes that are allowed are with the hands. The commission has received its first application, which Mr Kucera said would be scrutinised. He said a raft of rules would apply if the application was approved. They included requiring participants to have a minimum of seven years of fighting and 10 professional bouts behind them. Two doctors must be present at the ringside and if a boxer is knocked down, the bout must stop. He said boxers would also have to have serology tests to make sure they had no bloodborne diseases, and must get clearance from a doctor if there was any history of concussion. Mr Kucera said he understood many would regard the idea of bare-knuckle fighting with distaste, but he believed it was better for the government to regulate the practice rather than banning it outright. "In countries where they've said, 'we're going to ban this kind of thing', what happens is it goes underground, and then you have no control at all over it," he said. "If indeed it is approved, it is highly controlled. "And the level of injuries we see in these things are probably less than what you get on the football field, because these people defend themselves." Premier Roger Cook said that while the sport was not his "cup of tea", he agreed it was better to regulate the events. "It's important that the Combat Sports Commission can make sure that we don't drive combat sports underground," Mr Cook said. Numerous members of the community have slammed the idea, including WA president of the Australian Medical Association, Michael Page. "We know that any sport that involves repetitive knocks to the head — and this is quite clearly that — puts people at risk of not only acute concussion and acute brain injury, but also chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), which is where people, years after they've been involved in these sports, progressively develop personality changes, memory difficulties and dementia." Nationals WA deputy leader Peter Rundle also objected to the WA government approving such an event. "The premier and the government seem to be sanctioning and normalising that violence." Callers to ABC Radio Perth also objected. "This is beyond insane," caller Branko said. "Look at the rates of domestic violence, and I would probably not accept any nonsense about this not having any influence on boys. It does." Caller Sheila said she was "absolutely appalled". "We are rightly spending millions on domestic violence," she said. "We are trying to educate our children that violence is not the right way, and then the government subsidise this bare-knuckle fighting." But caller Alex was a supporter. "If you want to hop in a ring and hurt yourself, why not? We're not a nanny state."
Daily Mail
23-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Former boxing world champion Hannah Rankin apologises to backers for 'bad financial decisions' leading to debts... Scot also reveals she's called in the police due to 'blackmail' threats
Hannah Rankin's career is in crisis over 'bad financial decisions' - with the former boxing world champion revealing she has also called in the police following 'blackmail' threats. The 34-year-old - who became the first female Scot to win the WBA and IBA Super-Featherweight world titles - has admitted to Mail Sport that she had made some poor choices in terms of finance, leading to her owing substantial sums of money to a number of investors. However, Rankin also insisted that she had been 'subject to an ongoing campaign of harassment, threats and blackmail' and that it was now a police matter. The fighter - who has voluntarily relinquished her boxing license - has recently moved into the world of bare knuckle fighting and saw her first match in this discipline take place in October last year. Rankin told Mail Sport: 'I have been subject to an ongoing campaign of harassment, threats and blackmail for quite some time now and this is an ongoing police investigation 'Because of this, some bad financial decisions have been made. To those it has affected, I apologise. To those that are legitimately owed money, this will all be paid back in full. 'I will not be making any further comment on this, or anything linked to this due to the ongoing investigation. 'For those that are aware of what is going on, I thank you for your continued support and, for those that have reached out, again it means the world and I thank you.' Rankin has recently been recuperating from her bout against Jessica Borga in the BKFC in Dubai, after being KO'd in just 32 seconds. The match was supposed to be a day of reckoning for the Scot, who won her previous bare-knuckle fight against German Deborah Melhorn. Mail Sport has spoken with multiple sources - none of whom said they had been contacted by the police - who claim she has failed to honour financial commitments. Tom Varley, CEO of Fight Africa, claimed to Mail Sport that he lent Rankin more than £30,000 after befriending the fighter and her manager Noel Callan. He further claimed that their contract stipulated the money be repaid within 15 days, but Varley insists he has only received £4,000 of the money owed. He also said he had not been contacted regarding any police investigation. 'I had two contracts with Hannah and Noel,' he said. 'One was for £16,900, plus 10 per cent of her first BKFC purse. They said this was $150,000 including bonus. 'When the payment date came up, however, they came in with the excuse of frozen bank accounts. 'I then went to see them in Marbella and, as they were friends, I trusted them and rolled the contract - investing a further £11,000, after being told they were earning $200,000 for their title fight with Borga. 'The new contract was for £30,000 plus 15 per cent of their world title fight purse. The payment date for this was 15 business days after the fight. This hasn't come around yet.' When Mail Sport put Varley's claims to Rankin, she said she had 'nothing further to add' and referred back to her original statement. Investing in athletes such as Rankin is not an uncommon practice in the world of boxing and BKFC. Fighters will often get help for camps, training, accommodation and living costs - with loans repaid once fights have been completed. In Rankin's case, however, it is claimed that multiple debts remain outstanding. Meanwhile, Team Rankin Ltd - the company under which Rankin and Callan trade - has been hit with a suspended compulsory strike-off notice by Companies House after an objection to a strike-off was received by the Registrar. Suspensions can happen if creditors object to a strike-off, if there's an ongoing or legal claim against the company, if taxes or VAT are still outstanding, or if the company haven't complied with statutory requirements.
