A fight without rules... And according to the law?!

“Fights without rules are in fashion now. They say they are held in the houses of people who are not poor, and bets are made. But this is a risky thing, injuries are possible. I have even heard of one death as a result of such a duel. I have a question: are the organizers of such fights liable before the law? And in general, are such fights allowed? Or is a fight, even one that leads to the most dire consequences, permitted if there is mutual consent?”

FOR YOUR AND OUR RIGHTS!

“Nowadays fighting without rules is in fashion. They say they are held in the homes of people who are not poor, and bets are made. But this is a risky thing, injuries are possible. I have even heard of one death as a result of such a duel. I have a question: are the organizers of such fights liable before the law? And in general, are such fights allowed? Or is a fight, even one that leads to the most dire consequences, allowed if there is mutual consent?”

Stanislav Razgonov, Ekaterinburg

I would like to note right away that fights without rules have existed for quite a long time. Just recently, a tournament was held in Moscow between athletes from Russia and the USA, which, by the way, ended in a convincing victory Russian athletes(4:1). However, this competition was held in strict accordance with the current legislation of Russia, and the organizers, of course, were responsible for compliance with all laws.

Carrying out such unauthorized events threatens with very severe sanctions.

According to requirements Article 4 of Federal Law No. 128-FZ dated 08.08.01 “On licensing of certain types of activities” Licensed types of activities include those types, the implementation of which may entail damage to the rights, legitimate interests, health of citizens, defense and security of the state, and the cultural heritage of peoples Russian Federation.

Part 1 of Article 17 definitely requires obtaining a license in the case of organizing and maintaining betting shops and gambling establishments.

If it is established that the activities of holding fights without rules were carried out without making a profit, which is of course unlikely, then its organizers can be brought to administrative liability under Article 19.20 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation and punished with an administrative fine of five up to two hundred minimum wages (depending on the person involved: citizen, official, legal entity).

If the relevant authorities establish that the activities of conducting unauthorized fights without rules were aimed at making a profit, then not the administrative, but the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation will come into force, which will “reward” such enterprising citizens with a whole bunch of its articles.

Under such circumstances, liability may arise. Article 171 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation establishing liability for illegal business. If, during such events, harm is caused to anyone, then the person who is directly guilty of this will be prosecuted for causing harm to health or murder, and the organizers will be subject to prosecution for complicity in the crime.

And at the end of the topic, for some reason I remembered the words of the German scientist and publicist Wilhelm Schwebel: “If violence is carried out with the help of money, morality and law are silent!” What is it for?

BY THE WAY

5 THOUSAND BUCKS AND... SOFTWARE

Professional boxing, of course, not fights without rules. But here, too, money severely determines the fervor of battle. A law passed many years ago in the United States prohibits pros from fighting in the ring for free. The minimum bet below which you cannot fall is $50. 49 - is already prosecuted by law, up to and including imprisonment. However, today a boxer's prize money for just one fight sometimes exceeds $20 million.

Russians also enter the professional ring to earn money. True, this money is “ridiculous” compared to the fees of overseas boxers. The record prize money paid to the champion of Russia among professionals in the entire short history of these fights amounted to 5–6 thousand dollars, according to various sources.

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1. Requirements for the ring or arena; use of video screens
2. According to the rules of MMA, mixed martial arts competitions or exhibitions may be held in a ring or arena.
3. According to MMA rules, a ring used for mixed martial arts competitions or exhibitions must meet the following requirements:
1. The area of ​​the ring, limited by the ropes, must be not less than the area of ​​a 20-foot square and not more than the area of ​​a 32-foot square, on the inside of the ropes;
2. The floor of the ring must extend beyond the ropes at least 18 inches on each side. The ring floor must be covered with Ensolite foam or other similar closed cell foam. The minimum thickness of the foam layer is 1 inch. The flooring must extend beyond the ring ropes and beyond the edges of the area. A covering made of tarpaulin, strong canvas or other suitable material should be stretched tightly over it and secured with cords. Do not use material that bunches or folds.
3. The side posts of the ring must be made of metal with a diameter of no more than 3 inches, the height of the posts above the surface of the ring is a minimum of 58 inches. The side posts must be protected by a special coating approved by the Athletic Commission. The side posts of the ring must be positioned a minimum of 18 inches from the ring ropes.
4. On each side of the ring there must be five rows of ropes, at least 1 inch in diameter, covered with soft material. The distance from the ring surface to the bottom rope is 12 inches.
5. There should be no foreign objects on the surface of the ring.
4. According to MMA rules, an arena used for mixed martial arts competitions or exhibitions must meet the following requirements:
1. The arena must be circular or have at least six equal sides. The width of the arena must be no less than 20 feet and no more than 32 feet.
2. The arena floor must be decked with Ensolite foam or other similar closed cell foam, with a minimum foam thickness of 1 inch. A covering made of tarpaulin, strong canvas or other suitable material should be stretched tightly over the flooring and secured with cords. Do not use material that bunches or folds.
3. The arena area must not be more than 4 feet above floor level and must be equipped with special ladders for use by the fighters.
4. Fencing posts must be made of metal with a diameter of no more than 6 inches, and the height of the posts above the arena surface is 5-7 feet. Fence posts must be protected with a special coating approved by the Commission.
5. The arena fencing used must be made of a material that prevents fighters from falling outside the arena, onto the floor below the arena, or onto spectators, such as vinyl covered chicken wire fencing.
6. Metal parts of the arena must be protected with special coatings approved by the Athletic Commission and must not be dangerous for fighters.
7. The arena must have two entrances.
8. The fence surrounding the arena in which the competition is to be held must be free of foreign objects.
5. The organizer of mixed martial arts competitions or exhibitions must equip the fighting venue with at least two video screens that allow the events in the ring or arena to be monitored.

Duration of the fight

MMA rules stipulate the following duration of fights:

1. "Non-championship" mixed martial arts competitions and exhibitions last no more than three rounds.
2. Championship (title) mixed martial arts competitions, other mixed martial arts competitions or exhibitions considered by the supervisory authorities as a special event, last no more than five rounds.
3. Length of round in competition or demonstration performances in mixed martial arts should not exceed 5 minutes. The rest period between rounds in mixed martial arts competitions or exhibitions is 1 minute.

(came into force on August 31, 2001; amended on October 27, 2009)

MMA rules regulate the division of athletes into the following weight categories:

The current weight categories for athletes participating in mixed martial arts competitions or exhibitions and the weights for each category are listed below:

Flyweight
Flyweight up to 125 lbs.

Bantamweight
Bantamweight 125 to 135 pounds

Feather-weight
Featherweight 135 to 145 pounds

A light weight
Lightweight 145 to 155 pounds

Welterweight
Welterweight 155 to 170 pounds

Average weight
Middleweight 170 to 185 pounds

Light Heavyweight
Light Heavyweight 185 to 205 pounds

Heavy weight
Heavyweight 205 to 265 pounds

Super Heavyweight
Super Heavyweight over 265 pounds

Note. Some MMA organizations do not have weight classes under 145 pounds or over 265 pounds.

1. After the official pre-competition weigh-in, in the event of an overweight, the weight lost by athletes participating in a mixed martial arts competition or exhibition must not exceed 2 pounds.
2. The weight loss specified in the previous paragraph must occur no later than an hour after the initial weighing.

(came into force on August 31, 2001; amended on December 4, 2007)

Athletes' clothing

Athletes taking part in competitions or exhibition performances:

1. Must wear MMA approved shorts
2. During the competition, participants must not wear shoes or other materials covering their feet.

(came into force on August 31, 2001)

Judging methodology

1. According to the rules of MMA, each judge of a mixed martial arts competition or exhibition must evaluate the competition or exhibition and determine the winner using the following system:
1. The best fighter of the round receives 10 points, and his opponent receives correspondingly less.
2. If the round was equal, each fighter receives 10 points.
3. Fractional points cannot be awarded.
4. Points for each round are awarded immediately after the end of the round.
2. After the end of the competition or exhibition performance, the commentator takes the cards with the points assigned by the judges from the table of the Athletic Commission.
3. The decision is made by a majority vote. If a majority is not achieved, a draw is awarded.
4. After the panel representative has verified the scores, he or she communicates the decision to the commentator. The commentator communicates the decision to the audience through the speaker system.

(came into force on August 31, 2001)

Violation of MMA rules (fouls): points deducted

1. 1. If an athlete, during a mixed martial arts competition or exhibition, violates the rules of his or her opponent, the referee may punish him or her by deducting his or her points, regardless of whether the violation was intentional or not. Unless otherwise stated, the referee may determine the number of points to be deducted on a case-by-case basis, taking into account the severity of the offense and the degree of damage caused to the opponent.
2. 2. If the referee decides that a point or points must be deducted due to a rule violation, he or she must inform the offender of the penalty imposed.
3. 3. As soon as possible after a violation of the rules, the referee must inform the judges and both athletes the number of points to be deducted from the offender’s account.
4. 4. The point or points deducted for a violation are deducted in the round in which the violation occurred and cannot be deducted in subsequent rounds.

(came into force on August 31, 2001; amended on December 3, 2003)

Violation of MMA rules: unintentional

1. If a martial arts competition or exhibition is stopped because the rules were unintentionally broken, the referee will determine whether the athlete who was violated may continue to compete. If, as a result of the infraction, the athlete's chances of winning were not seriously jeopardized and if the infraction did not involve a blow to the head of the offended athlete, the referee may order the competition or exhibition to continue after a recovery pause of not more than 5 minutes. Immediately after the athletes have dispersed, the referee must inform the Commission representative whether the violation was unintentional.
2. If the referee determines that a mixed martial arts competition or exhibition cannot continue due to an injury resulting from an unintentional violation of the rules of MMA, the competition or exhibition will be declared a no contest if the rule violation occurs:
1. During the first two rounds of a competition or exhibition consisting of three or fewer rounds; or
2. During the first three rounds of a competition or exhibition consisting of more than three rounds.
3. If, due to an unintentional violation of the rules, the athlete cannot continue to participate in competitions or exhibition performances after:
1. completion of the second round of a competition or exhibition consisting of three or fewer rounds; or
2. At the end of the third round of competitions or exhibitions consisting of more than three rounds, the outcome of the bout is determined by scoring the completed rounds and the round during which the referee stopped the competition or exhibition.
4. If, subsequently, as a result of a legal blow, the injury resulting from the violation of the rules is aggravated, and the referee stops the competition or exhibition, the outcome of the match will be determined by counting the points for the completed rounds and the round in which the referee stopped the competition or exhibition.

(came into force on 08/31/2001; 12/03/2003; 12/04/2007)

Match outcome

According to MMA rules, mixed martial arts competitions can end as follows:

1. Voluntary surrender:
1. Physical submission (tapping the opponent's body or floor).
2. Verbal surrender.
2. Knockout (KO): as a result of a legal blow, the athlete is unconscious and cannot continue the fight.
3. Technical knockout (TKO):
1. The referee stops the fight.
2. The doctor stops the fight.
3. The fighter's seconds (corner) stop the fight.
4. Decision based on scoring, in particular:
1. Unanimous decision.
2. Non-unanimous (separate) decision.
3. Majority decision.
4. Draw, in particular:
1. Unanimous draw.
2. Draw by majority decision.
3. Split draw.
5. Technical solution.
6. Technical draw.
7. Disqualification.
8. Cancel.
9. Declaring the fight invalid.

(came into force on August 31, 2001; amended on December 4, 2007)

Note

Three judges award the round to one of the fighters, collectively assessing the effectiveness of their actions in the ring, such as:

1. Striking
2. Grappling (any wrestling actions and the use of painful and choking techniques)
3. Aggression
4. Control of the ring (arena) area

Prohibited actions

The following list of actions enumerates those that are considered rule violations during exhibition matches or mixed martial arts competitions:

1. Head impacts are prohibited.
2. Any type of attack on the eyes is prohibited.
3. It is forbidden to bite an opponent.
4. It is prohibited to hold, pull or pull the opponent's hair.
5. Any attempts to tear apart the anatomical openings of an opponent with your fingers (for example, an attempt to tear the mouth) are prohibited.
6. Any penetration of fingers into anatomical openings, as well as into cuts and wounds of the enemy is prohibited.
7. Any type of attack on the groin area is prohibited.
8. Painful techniques on the opponent's small joints, such as fingers or toes, are prohibited.
9. Any blows to the back of the head or spine are prohibited.
10. A downward strike with the tip of the elbow is prohibited.
11. Any blows to the throat, as well as grabbing the trachea, are prohibited.
12. Scratching, pinching, and twisting of the flesh is prohibited.
13. Grabbing the collarbone is prohibited.
14. Kicks to the head of a lying opponent are prohibited (the opponent is considered lying if he touches any third point of the floor).
15. Knee strikes to the head of a prone opponent are prohibited (see previous paragraph).
16. Trampling a prone opponent (hitting with the sole of the foot) is prohibited.
17. Hitting the kidney area with the heel is prohibited.
18. It is forbidden to stick the opponent into the canvas upside down or on the neck (see the note on this point at the end of the list).
19. It is prohibited to throw your opponent out of the cage or ring.
20. It is prohibited to grab the opponent's shorts or gloves.
21. Spitting at an opponent is prohibited.
22. Any type of unsportsmanlike behavior that results in injury to an opponent is prohibited.
23. Grabbing and holding by the cage or ropes is prohibited.
24. Any kind of insults are prohibited in the cage or ring.
25. It is prohibited to attack an opponent during a break.
26. It is prohibited to attack an opponent who is being spoken to or examined by the referee.
27. It is prohibited to attack the enemy after the end of the battle.
28. Explicit disregard of the referee's instructions is prohibited.
29. It is prohibited to evade combat, including avoiding contact with the enemy, intentionally or repeatedly spitting out a mouth guard, or feigning injury.
30. Angle interference is prohibited.
31. It is prohibited to throw away the towel during the fight.

(effective 8-31-2001; amended 10-27-2009)

Note

At UFC 111, there was an incident when fighter Kurt Pellegrino, pictured below, suddenly straightened up and with a downward movement of his body, stuck his opponent, Fabricio Camoes, who had grabbed his neck, into the canvas. The Athletic Commission explained in this regard that the technique performed, according to the rules of MMA, is considered legal, and clarified that those situations where the fighter controls the position of the opponent’s body, and, having brought him into a vertical position upside down with his feet up, forcefully sticks him, are prohibited. his head into the canvas. In the situation in the photograph in question, Kurt Pellegrino had no control over the position of the opponent’s body, and therefore did not violate the rules of MMA , and the opponent, in turn, had the opportunity to avoid hitting the canvas with his head.

“Bread and circuses,” says the ancient Roman proverb about gladiator fights. “And money!”, we can safely add to modern world, since fighters without rules in the rings receive decent money. And if you consider that fight organizers are constantly looking for new Fedorov Emelianenko, then in a fair fight you can earn not only the first small fee, but also a large contract with promoters worth a million rubles.

Anyone can submit applications and compete at the championships in fighting without rules. Such competitions take place quite often. For example, two weeks ago a major fight organizer came to the Urals to personally find talents and sign a contract with them.

More than 40 fighters from different cities and countries met in the ring and had three fights each. The winners got the opportunity to win the champion title and sign a multimillion-dollar contract with us, that is, to start earning decent money from fights,” said the organizers from Ambitions Management.

Our correspondent went to an amateur tournament to personally check whether it is possible to make money fighting in the ring against current MMA athletes (the most popular form of martial arts, where athletes use mixed fighting techniques).

To take part in the fights, you just need to find the phone number of the competition organizers on the Internet and leave your data: height, weight, and contact phone number. Announcements for the recruitment of participants are posted on thematic websites long before the day of the competition. You just need to follow the updates.

Of course, to win a fight you need excellent health and training in clubs. Some of them give you the opportunity to train for free, and you will take part of the fees from your victories later. And they will also help with finding venues for performances. At amateur tournaments, no one asks about training experience. Everything is extremely simple and honest - here is the opponent and the fighting gloves, here is the money for victory. The main thing is to cope with anxiety and gather strength.

The hardest thing to overcome is psychological uncertainty, says aspiring MMA warrior Artur Guliyev. – Always in the “cage” (a type of ring enclosed by a chain-link fence) it seems that your opponent is bigger and stronger. Will you be able to win depends on whether you convince yourself that you have already won?

As a novice amateur fighter, they should have pitted the same novice against me, but all the athletes were busy preparing. That's why he came out to fight with me professional fighter MMA Egor Golubtsov. “Thank you, we found something weaker,” I thought, looking longingly at the exit. “It’s scary to think who is stronger then if this one is weak.” Time flows in the ring completely differently than in ordinary life. It seems like an eternity has passed, but the fight actually lasts even less than a minute. Golubtsov generously treats me to toothache. As friends would later joke, my report could easily have been called “A Komsomolskaya Pravda journalist was brutally beaten in Yekaterinburg.”

I miss blow after blow. No matter how hard I try, the enemy’s fists break through my blocks like a hurricane through a house of cards. But I don't switch off. And I even try to punch my offender. But instead I miss another series of blows. In the middle of the round, luck suddenly smiles on me: suddenly the opponent’s legs are within reach. I grab my partner's knees, throw him into the ring and end up on top. I'm jubilant, but only for a couple of seconds. The enemy immediately throws me off and “rewards” me with another power move. After two minutes of the fight, the long-awaited gong sounds, and I crawl out of the ring.

Keep your nose up! - Golubtsov calms me down. - It's not all that bad. A couple of months of training, and you would have already defeated the first fighter.

According to the MMA fighter, athletes usually enter competitions after three months. Like, for example, Golubtsov’s student, Arthur Guliev. I spent little time in training and already defeated my first two opponents in the cage.

There are still hundreds of secret fight clubs in the Urals, but there are almost no underground competitions left - the need has disappeared.

Now there is no point in fighting underground for money. People place bets anyway, and there are so many fights that you just officially show up and take part. And how much you can earn depends only on you,” says Golubtsov.

Fights without rules, also called MMA and mixed martial arts, are brutal and spectacular. They combine a large number of 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. New round Fighting without rules was developed 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 over 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 strikes with the upper and lower limbs, as well as various 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 demonstrations or 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. Cases have been recorded where athletes caught taking prohibited substances were for a long time disqualified. 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 end in injury or even fatal opponents. Street fighting without rules occurs for various reasons. In addition, it is worth talking about organized but illegal street fights, the main goal of which is to earn 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:

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 championships in mixed martial arts"Arrow". 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 franchise price 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 do not earn much money; fees for victory 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 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 urban sport 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 bare hands, without gloves, but the fighters themselves already 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 weight category Alexandra Anisimova dropped out of the tournament, first receiving a blow to the nose with his forehead (his nose was broken), and then, while already 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.

I'm in different time I was engaged 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 varies across the country in the range from 30 to 50 thousand rubles. 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 he went to visit his 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. Our immediate plans include 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 sand fights - “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 sports a daring mohawk on his head, trains every day and dreams of making a 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 mixed-fight 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 some time the terrible truth was revealed<…>In Moscow they arranged underground fights. 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 fights, but about a completely 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,” Vladimir Klenshev laments. - 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, that’s enough to get recruited for fights and become a star.

Construction is not my life. This is the second,” Tolgat summarizes. - 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 parks. In the hallways while waiting for the elevator. In our own kitchens, while no one sees. They work as programmers, sales managers, 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…