Handicap matches are quite a spectacle in professional wrestling as they feature a person facing off against two or more opponents. But what many don’t know is that they exist in MMA as well. There have been many such events in the sport’s history.
These matchups are usually limited to two or three two-minute rounds.
Spanish MMA journeyman Cesar Alonso recently competed in such a contest. He faced off against two opponents and managed to win in the very first round. Throughout the match, Alonso would focus on one of them while the other attacked him from behind.
After struggling with them through most of the round, one of his opponents seemingly got knocked out by his own partner. After he was down, Alonso quickly went after the other and submitted him.
There have been many such bouts in the Russian MMA scene, particularly hosted by Epic FC.
One such example is when Alexander Karapetyan took on two opponents.
Not only was he outnumbered, but he also had just one arm. Still, he quickly knocked out one of the competitors with a kick. He then dueled with the remaining opponent for the remainder of the bout. He got a decision win in an awe-inspiring victory.
An odder matchup took place when a large transgender woman (Yulia Mishko) took on a skinny grandfather-grandson duo. It was another 2v1 situation, with the woman having a major size advantage over the two Island Boys-like individuals.
She dominated the entirety of the bout, dropping the two early on. The grandpa was randomly throwing strikes and kicks which weren’t able to connect. Meanwhile, the grandson was too scared to get close to the woman.
He was just letting his 75-year-old grandfather do all the work. He got caught numerous times during the contest and was freed by his grandparent. The fight ended in a draw, despite the woman dominating all three rounds.
Another 2v1 event hosted by the promotion saw Vitaly Bykov take on Vladislav Popov and Ramzan Amsadoev. This one saw a brawl break out in the cage as a Bykov cornerman attacked one of his opponents from behind. Security had to step in to take control.
But these weird matchups aren’t just limited to Spain and Russia. The CEO of a promotion, Jon Nutt, once competed in a 1 vs 2 MMA match in Thailand. However, unlike the other outnumbered gladiators mentioned here, he lost.