2015 började den ryska MMA-organisationen M-1 Global, som bland annat Fedor Emelianenko är delägare i, anordna fighter mellan utövare iklädda rustning som ett sätt att fylla utrymmet mellan de ordinarie matcherna. Tilltaget blev så populärt att M-1 Global bestämde sig för att starta en separat liga för medeltids-mma, M-1 Medieval. Organisationens president Vadim Finkelchtein via MMAfighting.com
I liked the fans’ reaction when we did it for the first time in St. Petersburg at M-1 Challenge 50. They seemed to really like it. They were impressed and supported the knights. So, I thought it was worth continuing. At that time, the knight fight was to fill the pause between the undercard and main card fights. If we find enough fighters to make enough fights, we will have a separate medieval show with its own weight categories, title fights and champions. I think it is similar to MMA, the rules are similar: you can punch, strike and wrestle. The fighters have swords and shields, wear special clothing, and all that looks really impressive and exciting.
Finkelchtein tror mycket på den europeiska marknaden med dess medeltidshistoria.
There were a lot of knightly orders and it has a big cultural heritage. And now we see a lot of schools where people can experience these traditions, the way knights lived. They can study how to fight using swords and learn a lot about Medieval times. And that makes me think the M-1 Medieval idea will have a good future in Europe.
I videon ovan reagerar Elias Theodorou och Misha Cirkunov på sporten.
Anton McGregor 
april 25, 2024