A medieval contact sport called “Buhurt” is gaining popularity. Astoria hosted its preeminent NYC tournament last week.
BY ROMAN BROSZKOWSKI | news@queensledger.com
ASTORIA — For several hours on Thursday in Queens, eight New Yorkers struck, punched, grappled, and head-butted each other for the chance to become a championship-winning knight.
Covered head-to-toe in armor and wielding various dulled steel weapons, fighters affiliated with the Armored League competed in the group’s “Battle of the Boroughs” modern medieval combat tournament held at the Melrose Ballroom in Astoria. The event drew several hundred enthusiastic attendees.
Sold partially as MMA with swords, the event combines elements of mixed martial arts — including the octagonal cage — with Buhurt, a combat sport that is meant to be a modern interpretation of medieval warfare. Anthony Rafes, one of the co-founders of the Armored League, said the sport became popular in the US after the pandemic.
“A lot of these guys have a reputation already. They’ve been fighting with us since November 2024,” said Rafes. “Next year, we’re really turning into a legitimate league with a regular schedule, different levels, different weight classes. So this is sort of a last hurrah for them to have some fun with each other and fight in a non-serious atmosphere.”
Four boroughs — the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Queens — were represented at the event, with a Manhattan fighter, the Central Parker, eventually emerging as champion.
Among the competitors was Ethan “Orpheus” Hernandez of Queens. An experienced combat fighter with a background in Japanese martial arts but a relative newcomer to the sport, Hernandez was drawn to compete after attending an Armored League event himself.
“[It’s] not just the violence and the brutality, but the comradery [that attracted me to the sport],” Hernandez said. “Everybody comes together after a fight, it bonds people.”
Part of that comradery, Hernandez said, comes from the varied backgrounds of people drawn to become fighters.
“[It’s] all walks of life and any person,” he said. “It could be like a businessman from like Wall Street or it could be a bartender. All walks of life come into the sport and gravitate toward it.”
Simon Alexander, a fighter from Inwood who competes under the name “Grendel”, agreed.
“[It really is] all walks of life, honestly,” he said. “I mean I go out for drinks with the guys and we’re all in different places. One of us is about to have a kid, one of us is right out of college. Everybody is in different stages and works different jobs. I mean I will say we’re all here for the same reason. We love getting in armor.”
The audience on Thursday drew an equally varied crowd.
For some, the overlap between modern medieval combat and pro-wrestling — with its pageantry and outrageousness — was a big draw.
“It’s awesome,” said Fyodor, who introduced himself as an avid fan of both wrestling and Renaissance fairs, of the event. “Men dressed like Campbell’s soup cans slamming into each other — what’s not to love?”
For others, it was the romanticism and fantasy associated with medieval combat that brought them out.
Near the octagon cage, four women who identified themselves as part of a fantasy book club said that they too were drawn to the campiness of the event and the parallels with Renaissance fairs.
When asked if they would ever consider competing in modern medieval combat themselves, three women turned and pointed to their friend, Natalie.
“Hell yeah!” she said.
