# Underground "Pit" Fighting

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underground-pit-fighting/594064>\
**Category:** The Game Room\
**Created:** [August 25, 2011, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underground-pit-fighting/594064 "2011-08-25T17:57:03Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![StusBlues](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@StusBlues](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StusBlues)\
**Post date:** [August 25, 2011, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underground-pit-fighting/594064/1 "2011-08-25T17:57:03Z")

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I’d like some references on underground fighting, specifically the type that Kimbo Slice was well-known for–sawdust on the floor, side bets left and right, the whole schmear. Particularly, I’m interested in where the fights are typically held, as well as what the “rules” (well, more like “guidelines”) typically are. A friend of mine who’s an MMA blogger has told me that they’re common on Indian reservations, but my Google-Fu isn’t yielding much of any promise.

Note: the above should in no way be construed as a desire to ATTEND underground fights, or to do anything in defiance of the law. Sad to say, this is NaNoWriMo research.

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**Author:** ![StusBlues](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@StusBlues](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StusBlues)\
**Post date:** [August 26, 2011, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underground-pit-fighting/594064/2 "2011-08-26T14:18:04Z")

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I’m giving this one bump. If it bears no fruit, so be it.

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**Author:** ![Chicagojeff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b19c9b/32.png) [@Chicagojeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chicagojeff)\
**Post date:** [August 26, 2011, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underground-pit-fighting/594064/3 "2011-08-26T14:31:26Z")

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I had a co-worker with the police dept doing underground fights… he’s since left…

I think Clark Howard or another reporter on WSB exposed them… (here in Atlanta) … the television station ran a “special” around the time the Brad Pitt?Ed Norton movie came out.

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**Author:** ![Hoopy\_Frood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hoopy_frood/32/8452_2.png) [@Hoopy\_Frood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hoopy_Frood)\
**Post date:** [August 27, 2011, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underground-pit-fighting/594064/4 "2011-08-27T13:59:21Z")

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> [@StusBlues](#):
>
> I’m giving this one bump. If it bears no fruit, so be it.

You do know the first rule of Fight Club, right?

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**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\
**Post date:** [August 28, 2011, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underground-pit-fighting/594064/5 "2011-08-28T03:36:24Z")

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“Underground fight” covers a lot of ground; I don’t know if you can say with certainty what the typical one is. An “underground” fight can be anything from a smoker (conducted purely for training purposes, of course) between trained fighters at a legitimate gym with legitimate referees under pretty much the same rules you’d see at a state certified amatuer event, to a backroom brawl between two semi-trained meatheads using whatever rules they think they agree on, to everything in between.