Complete Guide to Street Fighting Organizations Worldwide
The underground fighting scene is not a single entity. It is a sprawling global network of independent organizations, each with its own rules, culture, history, and audience. From the no-rules concrete fights of Scandinavia to the hay-bale rings of Moscow, from the backyards of Virginia to the sandbag circles of Kyiv, underground fighting organizations operate on every inhabited continent and collectively draw hundreds of millions of views per year.
This guide is a comprehensive, region-by-region directory of every major street fighting and underground fighting organization in the world. Whether you are looking for a specific organization, trying to understand the landscape, or researching the global state of unsanctioned combat sports, this is the most complete resource available.
North America
North America is the largest market for underground fighting content, driven by the United States' enormous combat sports audience and the early influence of viral backyard fight videos. The region is home to organizations spanning the full spectrum, from fully sanctioned bare knuckle promotions to raw backyard brawl operations.
United States
Streetbeefs
Streetbeefs is the largest and most well-known backyard fighting organization in the world. Founded in 2008 by Christopher "Scarface" Wilmore in Harrisonburg, Virginia, Streetbeefs began as a community initiative to reduce gun violence by offering an alternative: settle your disputes with fists, gloves, and a referee instead of firearms.
- Location: Harrisonburg, Virginia (main); Las Vegas, Nevada (West Coast branch)
- Format: Backyard boxing and MMA with gloves, referee, and modified rules
- YouTube Subscribers: 4.2 million+
- Philosophy: "Guns Down, Gloves Up"
- Founded: 2008
Streetbeefs has grown far beyond its dispute-resolution origins into a full-fledged content platform and grassroots fighting organization. Fighters apply through the organization's website and are matched by weight and experience. Events are filmed professionally and uploaded to YouTube, where individual fight videos regularly exceed one million views. The organization has produced fighters who have gone on to compete in sanctioned amateur and professional events.
Read the full Streetbeefs profile
Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC)
BKFC is the most commercially successful bare knuckle fighting organization in the world and the first to achieve legal sanctioning in modern American history. Its inaugural event took place in Cheyenne, Wyoming, in June 2018, and the promotion has since expanded to events across the United States and internationally.
- Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (headquarters); events nationwide and internationally
- Format: Bare knuckle boxing with 2-minute rounds, weight classes, and licensed referees
- Platform: Pay-per-view and BKFC app
- Notable Figures: Conor McGregor (minority owner since 2024), Mike Perry, Paige VanZant
- Founded: 2018
BKFC represents the most successful transition from underground to legitimate sanctioned sport in the modern era. While it no longer operates in the shadows, its roots are in the underground bare knuckle tradition, and its existence has shaped the entire landscape of unsanctioned fighting by providing a potential pathway to legitimacy for fighters and promoters alike.
The Scrapyard
The Scrapyard is a backyard fighting organization based near Gig Harbor, Washington, that has grown rapidly since its founding in 2020. Operated by Tony Johnson and his family, The Scrapyard has built a massive social media following across multiple platforms.
- Location: Gig Harbor, Washington
- Format: Backyard boxing and MMA with gloves and referees
- YouTube Subscribers: 900,000+
- Instagram Followers: 1.5 million+
- Founded: 2020
The Scrapyard is notable for its Pacific Northwest location and its rapid growth. The organization's production quality has improved steadily, and its events draw fighters from across the western United States.
Read the full Scrapyard profile
Backyard Squabbles
Backyard Squabbles operates out of Los Angeles, California, with a "Guns Down, Squabble Up" philosophy that mirrors the community-oriented approach of Streetbeefs. The organization focuses on providing an outlet for disputes and a platform for aspiring fighters who lack access to traditional combat sports infrastructure.
- Location: Los Angeles, California
- Format: Backyard fighting with gloves and basic rules
- Platform: YouTube
- Philosophy: "Guns Down, Squabble Up"
- Founded: ~2019
Read the full Backyard Squabbles profile
Rough N' Rowdy
Rough N' Rowdy occupies a unique position between underground and mainstream. Backed by Barstool Sports, the organization stages amateur boxing events featuring largely untrained fighters in a party atmosphere with professional production value.
- Location: Events held across the United States, primarily in West Virginia and other locations
- Format: Amateur boxing with gloves, 3 rounds of 1 minute each
- Platform: Pay-per-view through Barstool Sports
- Notable Feature: Entertainment-first approach, themed fighters, crowd participation
- Founded: ~2017
Rough N' Rowdy events are not traditional underground fights in the secretive sense, but they exist in the gray area between sanctioned and unsanctioned amateur combat sports. The events feature walkout music, ring girls, and production quality that rivals professional boxing broadcasts, while the fighters themselves are often complete novices.
Read the full Rough N' Rowdy profile
Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA
Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA was founded by former UFC star Jorge Masvidal, who built his reputation partly on his own underground fighting roots (his backyard fights are legendary in the MMA community). The organization runs bareknuckle MMA tournaments with substantial prize pools.
- Location: United States; events in multiple states
- Format: Bareknuckle MMA (no gloves, full MMA rules) in tournament format
- Platform: Pay-per-view
- Prize Pool: Up to $500,000 per tournament
- Founded: 2023
Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA combines the raw appeal of bare knuckle fighting with the technical depth of mixed martial arts, creating a format that attracts experienced MMA fighters willing to compete without gloves for significant money.
Read the full Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA profile
East Bay Rats
East Bay Rats is one of the oldest continuously operating underground fight events in the United States. Run by a motorcycle club in Oakland, California, the East Bay Rats have hosted fight nights since the mid-1990s in their clubhouse and surrounding area.
- Location: Oakland, California
- Format: Informal fight nights, various combat formats
- Platform: In-person events with limited online distribution
- Founded: ~1994
The East Bay Rats represent the true old-school underground: no social media strategy, no subscriber counts, no merchandise lines. Their fight nights are raw, communal events rooted in motorcycle club culture.
Read the full East Bay Rats profile
BKB / BYB Extreme
BKB/BYB Extreme has operations in both the United States and the United Kingdom. The organization is known for its patented triangular Trigon ring, a unique three-cornered fighting surface designed to create more action by eliminating the ability for fighters to retreat along the ropes.
- Location: United States and United Kingdom
- Format: Bare knuckle boxing in a patented Trigon (triangular) ring
- Platform: Previously VICE TV; current distribution through PPV and streaming
- Notable Feature: Patented triangular ring design
- Founded: 2015
Read the full BKB/BYB Extreme profile
Europe
Europe is home to the most diverse and in many cases the most extreme underground fighting scene in the world. The continent's fight organizations span the full spectrum from no-rules concrete fighting to semi-sanctioned bare knuckle events, and they operate against a patchwork of national laws that range from tolerant to strictly prohibitive.
Scandinavia
King of the Streets (KOTS)
King of the Streets (KOTS) is the most prominent and controversial no-rules fighting organization in the world. Founded in Sweden in 2013, KOTS stages fights on bare concrete with no gloves, no rounds, no time limits, and virtually no restrictions on technique. Headbutts, eye gouging, biting, and ground stomps are all permitted.
- Location: Based in Sweden; events held across Europe
- Format: No-rules fighting on concrete, no gloves, no rounds, no time limits
- Platform: YouTube, pay-per-view
- Legal Status: Illegal in Sweden; operates from undisclosed locations
- Founded: 2013
KOTS has defined the no-rules fighting movement and inspired imitators across Europe. The organization's insistence on concrete surfaces and its rejection of virtually all safety measures make it the most extreme regularly operating fight organization in the world.
Underground Unarmed Fighting (UUF)
UUF is a Danish organization that emerged in the wake of KOTS's influence in Scandinavia. Operating in Denmark, UUF follows a similar no-rules format with fights taking place on hard surfaces.
- Location: Denmark
- Format: No-rules / minimal rules fighting
- Legal Status: Illegal under Danish law
- Platform: Online video distribution
UUF represents the spread of the no-rules fighting model beyond Sweden's borders into the broader Scandinavian region, where it faces aggressive opposition from law enforcement.
Holmgang
Holmgang takes its name from the Old Norse tradition of settling disputes through single combat. The modern organization draws heavily on Scandinavian history and culture, positioning itself as a continuation of a Viking-era tradition.
- Location: Scandinavia
- Format: No-rules or minimal-rules fighting
- Cultural Influence: Rooted in Norse dueling traditions
- Legal Status: Illegal under modern Scandinavian law
Read the full Holmgang profile
Russia and the Former Soviet Union
Russia and the former Soviet Union have produced some of the most influential underground fighting organizations in the world. The region benefits from a more permissive regulatory environment than Western Europe, allowing organizations to operate with relative openness and to grow rapidly on YouTube and social media.
Strelka
Strelka is a Russian street fighting organization that emerged around 2011 in St. Petersburg. The organization runs large-scale street fight tournaments, typically featuring multiple bouts in a single session in outdoor locations.
- Location: Russia, primarily St. Petersburg
- Format: Street fighting tournaments, often 5-on-5 or mass brawl formats alongside one-on-one fights
- Platform: YouTube
- Notable Feature: Mass street fight tournaments with dozens of participants
- Founded: ~2011
Strelka's format is rooted in Russia's organized hooligan culture, where firms (organized groups of football supporters) engage in planned, consensual mass fights. The organization brought this tradition to YouTube, where its videos have garnered hundreds of millions of views.
Top Dog FC
Top Dog FC has grown from parking lot fights in Moscow to arena events with millions of YouTube views, becoming the most polished and commercially successful bare knuckle fighting organization outside of BKFC.
- Location: Russia, primarily Moscow
- Format: Bare knuckle fighting in a ring made of hay bales (early events) or professional ring setups (current events)
- Platform: YouTube, pay-per-view
- YouTube Subscribers: 6 million+
- Notable Feature: Jeans dress code for fighters, hay-bale ring origin
- Founded: ~2019
Top Dog FC's production quality rivals that of professional MMA promotions, and its fighter roster includes experienced martial artists from across Russia and Eastern Europe. The organization's signature aesthetic, including the original hay-bale ring and the mandatory jeans dress code for fighters, has created a distinctive brand identity.
Read the full Top Dog FC profile
Mahatch FC
Mahatch FC is a Ukrainian bare knuckle fighting organization that operates from Kyiv. Fighters compete in a circle defined by sandbags, wearing sneakers (which are mandatory) and no gloves.
- Location: Ukraine, Kyiv
- Format: Bare knuckle fighting in a sandbag ring, sneakers mandatory
- Platform: YouTube
- Notable Feature: Sandbag ring, mandatory sneakers, continued operation during wartime
- Founded: ~2020
Mahatch FC has drawn international attention both for its fights and for its continued operation during the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, demonstrating the resilience of the underground fighting subculture even in wartime conditions.
Read the full Mahatch FC profile
Our Way FC
Our Way FC is a Russian bare knuckle fighting organization that operates in a format similar to Top Dog FC. The organization has carved out its own niche in the crowded Russian combat sports market.
- Location: Russia
- Format: Bare knuckle fighting
- Platform: YouTube
Read the full Our Way FC profile
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom has a long and storied relationship with bare knuckle fighting, from the original London Prize Ring era to the modern underground scene. The UK's regulatory environment has proven more accommodating than most European countries, with some forms of bare knuckle boxing achieving a degree of official recognition.
BKB (UK Operations)
BKB has its roots in the United Kingdom, where bare knuckle boxing has a deeper historical tradition than anywhere else in the world. The organization's UK events have been held in London and other cities, featuring British and international fighters.
- Location: London and other UK cities
- Format: Bare knuckle boxing in the patented Trigon ring
- Platform: Previously broadcast on VICE; PPV and streaming
- Legal Status: Operated under various licensing arrangements
KOTR (King of the Ring)
KOTR operates in the United Kingdom as a bare knuckle fighting organization that exists in the gray area between sanctioned and unsanctioned. KOTR events feature organized bare knuckle bouts and have drawn fighters from across the British Isles.
- Location: United Kingdom
- Format: Bare knuckle fighting
- Legal Status: Gray area; not formally sanctioned by major boxing authorities
The UK's tradition of unlicensed boxing and Traveller bare knuckle fighting provides a cultural foundation for organizations like KOTR that operate outside the formal boxing establishment.
Western Europe
FPVS (France)
FPVS is a French no-rules fighting organization that follows the KOTS model of concrete surface fighting with minimal restrictions. Operating in France, FPVS faces a strictly prohibitive legal environment but has nonetheless built a following through online video distribution.
- Location: France
- Format: No-rules fighting on concrete
- Platform: YouTube, online video
- Legal Status: Illegal under French law
FPVS represents the expansion of the no-rules fighting movement from Scandinavia into Western Europe, adapting the format to a French context while maintaining the essential elements of concrete surfaces, no gloves, and minimal rules.
Calcio Storico (Italy)
Calcio Storico is in a category entirely its own. A 500-year-old tradition from Florence, Italy, Calcio Storico combines elements of rugby, soccer, wrestling, and bare knuckle fighting in a chaotic team sport played on a sand-covered field in the Piazza Santa Croce.
- Location: Florence, Italy
- Format: Team sport (27 per side) combining striking, wrestling, and ball play
- History: Originated around 1530
- Schedule: Annual tournament in June
- Notable Feature: City-sanctioned 500-year-old tradition
Calcio Storico is technically sanctioned by the city of Florence and is not "underground" in the modern sense. However, the level of violence permitted in the sport, including bare knuckle punches, kicks, elbows, and wrestling techniques, places it firmly outside the bounds of any modern combat sports regulation. It is a living artifact of a time before the concept of regulated fighting existed.
Read the full Calcio Storico profile
Holmgang (Germany)
Holmgang events have been reported in Germany, where they operate illegally under German law. The German legal system takes a strict approach to unsanctioned fighting, making organized underground events subject to criminal prosecution.
- Location: Germany
- Format: No-rules or minimal-rules fighting
- Legal Status: Illegal under German law
Read the full Holmgang profile
Latin America
Brazil
Brazil holds a unique place in the history of underground fighting. The country's Vale Tudo ("anything goes") tradition, which dates back to the 1920s, was the direct ancestor of modern MMA. The Gracie family's challenges to fighters of all styles, conducted under Vale Tudo rules, eventually led to the creation of the UFC in 1993.
While the original Vale Tudo scene has largely been absorbed into the formal MMA industry, underground and semi-sanctioned fight events continue to take place across Brazil, particularly in favelas and smaller cities where access to sanctioned combat sports infrastructure is limited.
- Historical Significance: Birthplace of Vale Tudo, ancestor of modern MMA
- Key Figures: The Gracie family, who pioneered no-rules challenge matches
- Current Scene: Localized underground events with limited online presence
Asia
Japan
Japan's underground fighting history includes the yakuza-backed fighting events of the 20th century and the country's deep martial arts culture. While Japan's professional fighting scene is well-regulated, underground events continue to exist, often linked to the country's extensive martial arts gymnasium network.
Southeast Asia
Countries like Thailand, the Philippines, and Myanmar have traditions of underground fighting that predate and exist alongside their well-known sanctioned fighting cultures (Muay Thai, boxing). In Myanmar, Lethwei (Burmese bare knuckle boxing) has historical roots in village-level fighting that operated without formal regulation for centuries.
Africa
South Africa
South Africa has a growing underground fighting scene, particularly in townships where organized fight events serve both as entertainment and as an outlet for disputes. The country's boxing tradition provides a cultural foundation for organized combat, and the economic challenges facing many communities create conditions where unsanctioned fight events thrive.
Organization Comparison Table
| Organization | Country | Type | Surface | Gloves | Rounds | YouTube Subs | Legal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KOTS | Sweden | No Rules | Concrete | No | No | 1M+ | No |
| Streetbeefs | USA | Backyard | Grass/Dirt | Yes | Yes | 4.2M+ | Gray area |
| Top Dog FC | Russia | Bare Knuckle | Ring | No | Varies | 6M+ | Gray area |
| Strelka | Russia | Street Fighting | Outdoor | No | No | 2M+ | Gray area |
| BKFC | USA | Bare Knuckle Boxing | Ring | No | Yes | 1M+ | Yes |
| Mahatch FC | Ukraine | Bare Knuckle | Sandbag ring | No | Varies | 500K+ | Gray area |
| The Scrapyard | USA | Backyard | Grass | Yes | Yes | 900K+ | Gray area |
| Backyard Squabbles | USA | Backyard | Outdoor | Yes | Yes | 500K+ | Gray area |
| FPVS | France | No Rules | Concrete | No | No | Growing | No |
| Rough N' Rowdy | USA | Amateur Boxing | Ring | Yes | Yes | N/A | Gray area |
| BKB/BYB | USA/UK | Bare Knuckle | Trigon ring | No | Yes | N/A | Varies |
| Gamebred BK MMA | USA | BK MMA | Ring/Cage | No | Yes | N/A | Varies |
| Calcio Storico | Italy | Historical | Sand | No | N/A | N/A | Yes |
| East Bay Rats | USA | Fight Night | Various | Varies | Varies | N/A | No |
| UUF | Denmark | No Rules | Hard surface | No | No | N/A | No |
| Holmgang | Scandinavia | No Rules | Varies | No | No | N/A | No |
How to Choose What to Watch
The underground fighting world can be overwhelming for newcomers. Here is a quick guide to finding the organizations that match your interests:
If you want the most extreme, no-holds-barred fighting: Start with KOTS and FPVS. These no-rules organizations represent the absolute edge of organized combat. Our Ultimate Guide to No-Rules Fighting covers this category in depth.
If you want high-production bare knuckle fighting: BKFC and Top Dog FC offer the most polished bare knuckle experiences. See our Ultimate Guide to Bare Knuckle Fighting for a deep dive.
If you want accessible, community-oriented backyard fighting: Streetbeefs and The Scrapyard are the gateway organizations. Our Ultimate Guide to Backyard Fighting covers this scene thoroughly.
If you want to understand the legal landscape: Our country-by-country legal breakdown covers the legality of every type of underground fighting in every major jurisdiction.
If you want a complete list of every organization: Our Complete List of Every Underground Fighting Organization provides a quick-reference directory of every organization covered on this site.
The Global Trend
Underground fighting is growing in every region. Several trends are driving this expansion:
- YouTube and social media have eliminated the distribution barrier. Any fight promoter with a camera and an internet connection can reach a global audience.
- Cultural backlash against over-regulated combat sports is driving demand for rawer, more authentic fighting experiences. Fans who grew up watching UFC are seeking something more visceral.
- Economic factors make underground fighting accessible in ways that sanctioned combat sports are not. You do not need a boxing license, a trainer, or a gym membership to fight in a backyard.
- The BKFC legitimization pathway has shown that underground organizations can transition to legal, sanctioned status, encouraging new promoters to enter the space.
- The pandemic era accelerated the trend by shutting down sanctioned events while underground operations continued, often growing their audiences during the lockdown period.
The result is a global ecosystem of fighting organizations that continues to expand and diversify. New organizations are emerging regularly, existing ones are growing their audiences and improving their production quality, and the line between underground and mainstream is blurring more with each passing year.
For a detailed timeline of how the scene evolved, see our History of Underground Fighting: From Kimbo Slice to KOTS.
Conclusion
The underground fighting world is larger, more diverse, and more organized than most people realize. What began with a handful of backyard brawlers and viral video pioneers has grown into a global network of organizations spanning every continent and every format of combat. Whether you are drawn to the raw extremity of no-rules fighting, the technical purity of bare knuckle boxing, or the community spirit of backyard fight clubs, there is an organization operating somewhere in the world that matches your interest.
This directory will be updated as new organizations emerge and existing ones evolve. The underground fighting landscape is changing constantly, and we are committed to documenting every corner of it.
For an overview of the entire scene, start with our Ultimate Guide to Underground Fighting.