Illegal ‘no rules’ fight clubs are flourishing across Britain – with the violent events fueled by millions of sadistic viewers on TikTok.
The brutal fights take place in secret locations and details are shared before the starting bell so they cannot be stopped by police, a new Channel 4 documentary has revealed.
Fighters – who are not paid and thus participate out of a sickening desire for violence – must sign a waiver before entering the ring, as life-changing injuries and even deaths have been reported.
The documentary reveals that an average of three underground fight clubs take place every week in disused warehouses, car yards and motorway underpasses in Britain.
The illegal matches attract millions of views on YouTube and TikTok, with the three most popular fight clubs racking up 51 million views on their latest matches – a 52 percent increase since last year.
Illegal ‘no rules’ fight clubs are flourishing across Britain – with the violent events fueled by millions of sadistic viewers on TikTok. Pictured: A fight taking place at the King of the Ring fight club in Manchester
A crowd watches a fight at the King of the Ring fight club in Manchester
One fighter gives a team talk during a fight at the King of the Ring fight club in Manchester
One such fight club is a no-rules club in Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham, where participants are allowed to immobilize their opponent in any way possible.
The organizer, who only names Lee, tells the documentary: ‘It’s an underground fight without rules. They can do whatever they want, even biting and eye gouging.
‘It is full, vicious, pure violence.
Some people hate MMA (mixed martial arts), but this is ten times more brutal.
”
Lee claims that despite his fights typically being viewed more than 10 million times, he doesn’t do it for the money, but for the thrill of watching armed fights.
One of the participants is Leyton, a highway safety foreman, who said his partner kicked him out of their home prior to the fight after giving him an ultimatum.
“She said it was either me or this fight,” he told the documentary. “So I clearly said it’s a fight.”
Before the fight, he trains with a veteran no-rules fighter, Alex Etherington, who had part of his ear bitten off during a fight and now keeps the gnawed piece of ear in a jar.
A fight club organizer, who gives his name only as Lee, claims that despite his fights typically being viewed more than 10 million times, he doesn’t do it for the money but for the thrill of watching armed fights.
A heavyweight fighter falls to the ground outside the ring during a fight at the King of the Ring fight club in Manchester before being helped by the referee before continuing
One of the participants is Leyton, a highway safety foreman, who said his partner kicked him out of their home prior to the fight after giving him an ultimatum.
Ahead of the fight, he is training with seasoned no-rules fighter Alex Etherington
Alex had part of his ear bitten off during a fight and now carries the gnawed piece of ear in a jar
One of the fighters, a 21-year-old plasterer named Brandon, who says he has nine victories in fights in underground fight clubs, tells the documentary that a previous fight left him temporarily blind in one eye.
Brandon pictured during a fight at the King of the Ring fight club in Manchester
Mr. Etherington tells Leighton, “You have to go in there thinking, ‘I could die here,’ so I’m going to get ready to die or ready to kill someone.
“I know martial arts aren’t safe, but it’s like a tea party compared to this.”
Another clandestine fight club featured in the documentary is King of the Ring, which holds monthly fights at secret locations in Manchester, with postcodes sent by text message a few days before the match.
Fighters, who promote themselves via social media, are matched by age, size and experience and must sign waivers before being allowed to enter the ring. There are multiple fights in each event and each match consists of three one-minute rounds.
The events are organized by a man who gives his name only as ‘Remdizz’, who officiates fights that follow regular boxing rules but take place without any supervision from the boxing authorities.
Remdizz claims that the fights, rather than encouraging violence, are a solution to gang warfare and criminal aggression. He said: ‘It is our human nature, we are barbaric. Men used to fight to settle things… so it’s just in our DNA, it’s in us.”
One of the fighters, a 21-year-old plasterer named Brandon, who says he has nine victories in fights in underground fight clubs, tells the documentary that a previous fight left him temporarily blind in one eye.
Despite this, he isn’t concerned about the long-term consequences, including brain damage and dementia, adding: “I’m not worried about that.”
The Secret World of Fight Clubs: UNTOLD can be streamed on Channel 4 from Monday.