Ever wondered what a mixed martial arts league between models would look like? RT Sport delves into the world of The Lingerie Fighting Championship– dubbed ‘the world's most controversial MMA league’.
In the vast landscape of combat sports, The Lingerie Fighting Championships, or LFC for short, stands alone as the only exclusively female MMA promotion that pits models in sultry lingerie against one another to slug it out in cage fights.
The concept seems to tread a fine line between sports entertainment and exhibitionism, pushing against the boundaries of acceptability.
Since its creation in Las Vegas in 2014 LFC has already been banned from returning to the state of Kansas after the fighters at a 'Guilty Pleasures' show were deemed to be “dressed too provocatively.”
The Nevada State Athletic Commission has condemned the league’s absence of weight divisions, which allows for girls to be thrown around, choked out and body-slammed by heavier opponents.
Feminists have labeled the promotion "a sad rage pool" of het-male fantasy and criticized it for "hooking something that could be empowering for women."
Yet its fighters and fans are adamant that the league represents strong-willed women aiming to build a legitimate stepping stone to mainstream MMA.
So is this niche brand of fantasy fighting really a battle for female empowerment? Or does it promote the exploitation of women looking to break into the big time? Or is it simply a harmless spectacle no different to any other vice available on the Sin City strip?
RT Sport goes inside the weird and wonderful world of lingerie fighting to find out.