Fighters strapped into as much as 70 pounds of full steel armor were listed to square off with swords and axes as The Armored League advertised its Battle of the Boroughs tournament. The event listing named combatants for the title of Knight of the Five Boroughs, in a full-contact spectacle that looked more like a medieval melee than a modern sports card.
A Modern Melee With Medieval Roots
The listing for the September 17 card named local fighters known by ring names like Shortbread, Bronx Brawler, Mando, and Starry Knight, according to details supplied via Eventbrite. As FOX 5 New York reported, the bouts featured full-contact combat with fighters wielding swords and axes while encased in up to 70 pounds of steel armor, all under blunt-weapon rules and fast-paced 60-second rounds. The sport competitors practice is known as buhurt, a term derived from the Old French word béhourd, meaning to wallop, tracing back to medieval knightly tournament melées before it was formalized as a competitive sport in Eastern Europe during the late 20th century, per the same account.
The League Behind the Steel
The Armored League itself was co-founded on September 5, 2024, in New York City by CEO Damion DiGrazia and COO Anthony Rafes, alongside co-founders Pedro Navarro and Scott Litts, according to LA Weekly. Before DiGrazia helped launch the commercial league, he was linked to Gladiators NYC, which offers free combat training in Harlem through Santa's Knights, Inc., according to iLovetheUpperWestSide.com. The outlet describes DiGrazia as a U.S. Air Force veteran, Harvard and Columbia alumnus, and former Wall Street professional. Those free classes take place in Harlem, alongside public practices in Central Park, per the same report.
Rules, Rounds, and Real Risk
Under Armored League tournament rules, outrance or pro-fight matches consist of three one-minute rounds, where fighters score points through strikes, takedowns, and knockdowns. LA Weekly reports that impactful hits, head strikes, and attacks using two-handed weapons carry higher point values, while dropping a weapon does not automatically stop the match. Despite the brutal visuals, armored combat leagues enforce strict safety regulations that mandate blunted steel weapons and explicitly ban thrusting or stabbing moves, as well as strikes directed at the throat, spine, back of the knees, crotch, feet, or grounded opponents, according to Grant the Knight. Weapons and armor are subject to specifications governing metal thickness and edge curvature, the same source notes.
The Cost and Weight of the Armor
Steel plate armor worn by combatants weighs between 40 and 70 pounds and costs between $3,000 and $5,000 for a standard suit, with specialized armorers in Ukraine hand-crafting a significant portion of the custom equipment, per LA Weekly. Custom armor suits can cost between $3,000 and $5,000, according to the outlet. Experienced fighters have told LA Local that the heavy steel suits act as a physical equalizer, letting older martial artists offset a younger opponent's speed advantage through leverage, endurance, and technique. The plating also limits visual and sensory awareness compared to traditional MMA, forcing fighters to adapt to muffled hearing and restricted peripheral vision, according to the same outlet.
Expanding Beyond the Five Boroughs
The Armored League has staged fights at 3 Dollar Bill in Brooklyn, according to LA Local. The league's fighters are also covered in the outlet's account. The league is also building out its women's division, with an ARMORED LEAGUE FEMME 3 tournament scheduled for October 30 at 3 Dollar Bill in Brooklyn, according to The Armored League. The league's women's division is also represented by tournament competition.
