An ice skating and mixed martial arts crossover event was held in Russia. One athlete delivered an impressive spinning backfist KO that quickly dropped his opponent.
Russia is not new to this odd combat sport called Pop-MMA. In Pop-MMA, contestants usually compete in unique and ridiculous matches such as intergender event, competing in strange settings including phone booths, a car and others. Of course there are also medieval clashes, dwarf vs. dwarf bouts, young vs old etc. These types of promotions aim to gain attention and provide funny intermissions between real matches.
And considering how big hockey is in Russia, it’s no surprise that a mainstay in hockey was taken to another level with pop MMA.
Despite not being as big as other combat sports such as MMA or boxing, Pop-MMA has quite a few loyal fans. While it sounds completely ridiculous, some matches actually have exciting moments.
A good example would be a recent ice skating duel. IceFights is a combat sports promotion headquartered in Russia. They feature a new combat sport where athletes compete in a skate rink arena wearing small boxing gloves and ice skates.
As for the rules, they are very similar to mixed martial arts in general. Obviously, kicking is not allowed due to the sharp blade on the ice skating boots. The arena doesn’t have any fence or ropes as the borders, and two referees oversee the match.
One of the matches recently went viral on social media. One contestant finished his opponent with a fast spinning backfist.
After exchanging blows while circling around the arena, one contestant in a light blue outfit suddenly spun and landed a vicious right hand. The impact easily dropped his opponent on the ice.
Combat sports fans quickly jumped to the comment section. Some talked about the spinning backfist, while others were completely amazed by the match.
“This has to be the most Russian thing ever made, right?”
“OMFG, I always wondered what if NHL players knew how to clinch properly.”
“This should have been invented long ago.”
“Who needs hockey to get in the way of the main events in entertainment?”