Contrary to what the general public believes, MMA is far from being the most violent combat sport in the world.
Other combat sports exist which are a lot more brutal and terrifying that Mixed Martial Arts… Brutal Arm Wrestling, for example, is a showdown between two competitors that never seems to last for a really long time. As for Neapolitan Calcio Storico, this combination of football, rugby and MMA can result in some pretty extreme acts of violence.
There are as many different fighting sports out there as there are ways of fighting, and even though limits, boundaries and rules may be set, every single one of them seems to actively searching for a way to be as bloody as possible.
Check out our collection (which is by no means exhaustive) of some of the most extreme of these disciplines, most of which fall halfway between actual sport and pure violence.
10 - K-1 is a form of Kickboxing in which the use of knees is allowed and matches take place in a ring similar to that which is used in boxing. This martial art was originally inspired by sports such as Kung-fu, karate and even Taekwondo.
9 - Dambe is a type of traditional Nigerian boxing style which takes place on the sand. Fighters use their weak hand to make that first connection with their opponent and their other to attack any other part of the body they like.
8 - MMA is a martial art competition which takes place in an octagon-shaped ring and gloves are not needed to participate. There are around twenty restrictions listed within the rules, but every type of strike or attack is usually permitted.
7 - Brutal Arm Wrestling is like your normal arm wrestling match, except fighters use their free hand and their feet. Since their right hand is attached to their partner, the goal is obviously to land as many shots as possible!
6 - Big Japan Pro Wrestling is halfway between wrestling and street fighting. Fighters are allowed to use items such as glass bottles or even baseball bats as weapons, which makes this event even more violent!
5 - Vale Tudo is a Brazilian discipline in which only fingers in the eyes, blows to the spine and fingers in other orifices are not allowed.
4 - Calcio Storico is an ancient sport that was mainly practiced in Florence, Italy. In short, this game is like football without the rules, in which two teams of 27 people attempt to score goals whilst still landing some pretty decent strikes.
3 - The Borey is a type of Gambian wrestling in which anything goes, including throwing sand and even spitting in your opponent’s eyes!
2 - Brancaille is a French discipline in which anything goes, be it elbows, knees, head shots and even strangulation. Even though it was legally banned after the Second World War, it is still practiced in secret.
1 - Bare Knuckle Boxing is like a big bar fight that only has one rule, no hitting your opponent in their private areas. It is like traditional boxing with your bare hands and there often ends up being one or more particularly bloody fighters…
