By Joe Miles SUN Magazine
NO GLOVE LOST Inside the brutal new sport taking Russia by storm where fighters brawl in Spartan-inspired kickboxing duels.
A BRUTAL and bloody new sport has been taking Russia by storm - and could soon feature the UK's top brawlers.
Teams of four fighters go head-to-head in a long, narrow ring in a Spartan-inspired kickboxing dual.
The two Spartan-inspired fighters will go to war in the ring for five minutes.
A team wins a TTC bout by eliminating all of their opponents.
Thermopylae Team Combat, also known as TTC, was formed in 2012 by Russian friends Nikolai Krudryashov and Daniel Litvinsky.
The idea behind it was inspired by the Battle of Thermopylae in 480 BC - which the film The 300 Spartans is based on.
During the battle, 300 Spartans fought off hundreds of thousands of Persian invaders by setting up base in a narrow mountain passage.
In TTC, four fighters from each team will gather in opposite ends of the long, narrow ring.
The first round will see two fighters from opposite teams battle it out for five minutes using standard kickboxing rules.
The winner of the round will remain in the ring and the loser will be eliminated.
A team will be crowned the champions when all of their opponents have been eliminated.
Creator Litvinsky said: "From the beginning, this sport was created by two friends dreaming up a new type of fight sport.
"Our goal was to blow everybody's minds."
The brutal new sport is contested in a long, narrow ring.
TTC has only hosted one formal tournament so far, but Litvinsky has revealed he is getting ready for the world championship, which will be hosted in Moscow or Los Angeles.
He added: "Our goal is to have eight teams, one from Russia, the US, the UK, France and elsewhere."
And he predicted UFC legend Conor McGregor could one day bring his own team to world championship of TTC.
Thermopylae Team Combat aims to deliver a clear set of rules for professional boxing competition that are consistent across the jurisdictions of various athletic instructions and other regulatory bodies. Winner takes home title, shield and money.
-Title comprises of 4 or 7 rounds (5 minutes each)
-Same day fighting, winning team advances
The following acts if committed in a competition may result in penalties:
-No wrestling
-No holding or grabbing of any kind
-Butting with the head
-Biting or spitting at an opponent
-Hair pulling
-Attacking an opponent on his head or neck
-Attacks to the spine or the back of the head
-Throat strikes of any kind
-Biting or spitting at an opponent
-Hair pulling
-Attacking an opponent after the round is complete
If a judge deems the round completely even, fighters will be judged on technique, amount of hits, amount of missed hits and power hits.