In many states MMA, or NHB as it was called back then, was regarded as “human cockfighting” and condemned by a host of politicians, including the late Senator John McCain. New York was no exception. After a disastrous attempt to hold UFC 12 in Buffalo, all professional MMA was banned in the state…. BUT due to a loophole in the law the sport existed in a very weird grey zone: while it was illegal to hold a professional event, it was technically not illegal to hold an amatuer event.
That being said the sanctioning process for non pro MMA was so arcane it was a hurdle no one could really understand. So in response the competition and the community went underground, with unofficial and unsanctioned amateur shows popping up to fill the need for fighters to grow..
Back then there were three spots for organized underground fights in New York City.
The most well known was the “Underground Combat League” run by Peter Storm (who unfortunately is now incarcerated due to some very poor decisions on his part that are unrelated to MMA). It was actually a great show, and I am very proud to say I fought for them multiple times. So did former UFC champ Frankie Edgar, as well as one of Alliance MMA’s top grappling coaches, Erik Uresk. It was one of the few venues offering up-and-coming martial artists a chance to grow at the grassroots level.
The show was in a different location every time, usually in the Bronx or Manhattan: almost always in old boxing gyms, martial arts schools that had a ring or gymnasium with a mat etc. The fights drew a wide variety of people and styles. It was very much like the early days of the UFC; boxing vs Kung Fu or Wing Chun vs Judo etc. There was always a good mix of street fighters and experienced martial artists alike. It was crazy and action packed, but actually really well run (well mostly). The referee, Jerry Mendez, was one of the best I have ever seen, and he kept things from getting out of hand.
In order to get in to watch or fight you had to know Peter or he had to know you. But it didn’t stop the word from getting out and every now and then someone famous would discreetly show up. I actually met Anthony Bourdain there once. It was a great scene.
Underground Combat League – UCL
The second was an “International Fight Night” run by Gene Fabrikant in “Little Odessa“ (the Russian/Ukrainian part of Brighton Beach, Brooklyn).
The fights were held in a restaurant in front of tables of well dressed Russian speaking patrons who looked…. well they look very connected… This show eventually evolved into a more organized and professional promotion and sponsored some great events that were totally above board. But in the beginning it was a completely crazy underground fight ring and you could only attend if you knew a guy who knew a guy.
Flashback: International Fight Night, Brooklyn’s Russian MMA Promotion
The final place for underground fights was in the Kung Fu community. The Chinese martial arts community was well known for backroom fights in the 70s (sponsored by the gangster, Wai Hong). The practice was revived by Novell Bell, a Baguazhang practitioner, in and around 2013. He held them in Queens to provide Kung Fu men a venue to test their skills.
The rules were not “no-holds-barred” per se. They were a little more restrictive in the sense that they had some rules that limited the amount of ground fighting; also participants were judged not just on fighting skill but also on how much they were able to use their Kung Fu.
Novell Bell’s Man Up Stand Up, Queens, New York
Unfortunately, once NY state laws for MMA were passed in 2016 (setting clear legal parameters for MMA), everyone I know stopped doing these underground shows.
Why?
Two major reasons: first, there was no real need to be “underground“ anymore as long as you were willing to follow the state regulations. And secondly, the penalty for noncompliance with the regulations could be steep.
Also now there are many opportunities to step into the ring for amateur fighters to test their skill, like Triton Fights, Aggressive Combat League and NY Fight Exchange.
If you want to fight these guys will match you in a fight and will promote you if you are successful. For some people this is the first step in a longer MMA career.
It’s cleaner these days but I do miss the old school fights and the crazy things we did (like fighting NHB over a concrete floor with just a rug thrown on top; fighting with everything allowed including groin shots and head butts allowed; no time limits at all; no weight classes etc.)
There’s a book about the underground scene by journalist Jim Genia, who was probably at every show ever held. It’s called “Raw Combat: The Underground World of Mixed Martial Arts“ and I am mentioned on page 152!
Check it out:
Amazon.com: Raw Combat:: The Underground World of Mixed Martial Arts eBook: Genia, Jim: Kindle Store