Missing live sports in quarantine? Take a look back at the weird and the wonderful, the extreme and the edgy, and the brutal and bizarre sports that you never knew you needed in your life from the RT Sport archive.
Near global lockdown to prevent the spread of coronavirus has left fans without a live sport fix while cooped up at home in quarantine.
In the absence of any new events on the horizon, RT Sport has rounded up the best of the absurd hybrid tournaments you might never have known existed, but will leave you wondering how you survived without them.
Russian Slapping Championships
The Russian Slapping Championships is as extreme as one might imagine. A tournament designed for burly men to slap each other into submission leaves little room for finely tuned athletic technique.
Perhaps Russia’s most brutal of its bizarre sports first gained notoriety at the Siberian Power Show 2019 when Vasily Khamotskiy, a farmer from Krasnoyarsk, went viral by rendering opponents unconscious on his way to winning the inaugural title.
Nicknamed ‘Dumpling’ for his 6ft 3in, 300lbs frame and animalistic appetite, he became an unlikely sporting hero in Russia after UFC color commentator Joe Rogan retweeted footage of Dumpling’s seismic slap power which in turn prompted Dana White to ponder the option of showing a slapping event live on UFC Fight Pass.
Dumpling even became known among the US elite when Donald Trump Jr used an altered meme of the tournament to bash Democrats during the impeachment inquiry into his father, the latter of which Dumpling claimed he recognized from the movie Home Alone.
Also on rt.com 'I didn’t know I could knock him out with a slap!' Russian slapping champ on viral victory (VIDEO)Lingerie Fighting Championships
Created to bring to reality a dream of having a mixed martial arts league involving only fighters that look like ring girls, The Lingerie Fighting Championships (LFC) pits models against each other in cage fights.
Feminist groups have voiced their displeasure at LFC, varyingly labelling the promotion a "sad rage pool" created by "het-male centrism" that promotes the 'sexual exploitation' of women.
But past the sleaze and showmanship, the league’s organizers and fighters are determined to make LFC a stepping stone into mainstream MMA for young women looking to embark on a combat sports career.
The promotion follows a simple set of rules: fight costumes must consist of sultry, revealing lingerie; and no standup strikes to the face, to preserve each fighter’s looks.
Booty Slapping Championships
A spin off from the Russian Slapping Championships, the female version of Dumpling’s favorite field, requires toned women bodybuilders to hit each other on the backside until one falls over.
The object of the game is to hold a straight face and your booty in the air while your opponent hits you on the backside with such force it compels you to break your stance or wince in pain.
The winner of last year’s Booty Slapping event was fitness guru Nastya Zolotaya, who paid the price of a "red and blue ass" for winning the title.
Dagestani basketball
A favorite of UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, this sport is an integral part of any Dagestani fighter’s pre-training routine and resembles a mix between rugby and basketball.
Also on rt.com ‘In Dagestan, you have to fight for respect’ – meet Nurmagomedov Jr.Played in martial arts gyms on a basketball court and with a basketball, the only difference from the traditional American sport is the fact players are allowed to travel with the ball and take down a member of the opposing team.
Pride is not the only thing at stake between players in the North Caucasus Republic, as losing teams frequently are obliged to pay the winner’s bill at that evening’s dinner, as RT Sport found out in Dagestan.
Arm wrestling boxing
Slightly similar to the Slapping Championships setup, but devoid of any of the regular sweet science associated with the noble art of boxing, these arm wrestling battles combine the two sports where competitors test their strength with one arm and try to land punches with the other.
Also on rt.com Arm-wrestling boxing - Thought you'd seen every brutal Russian 'sport'? Think again (VIDEO)Rules permit a ‘fighter-wrestler’ to duck out of the line of fire but danger is never far away when two fighters are obliged to hold on to each other’s hand, creating an entertaining spectacle for fans.
The sport was first revealed at the Siberian Power Show in 2020, one year after the now-famous Russian Slapping Championships first came to prominence. Only time will tell if Russia's new blood sport will attain the same fame as it's predecessor.