Game of Thrones meets UFC: Watch two knights do battle in MMA ring in bonkers new medieval tournament in Russia

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Game of Thrones in real life? A bonkers mixture of armoured knights and the UFC is growing in profile in Russia.

Mixed Martial Arts has gone medieval.

So well received were the trial fights in August, when company M-1 Global started running bouts, with fighters dressed as "knights" with armour and swords (watch the trailer below), the Russian promotion has now launched a new fighting division under the guide M-1 Medieval that will focus on "knight fights", with plans even in place to start a national league.

Those swords, wisely, are blunt, and the rules are similar to MMA, where certain blows and holds are illegal.

Their first full event takes place in Moscow on 10 April.

"I liked the fans' reaction when we did it for the first time in St. Petersburg at M-1 Challenge 50," M-1 president Vadim Finkelchtein told MMAFighting.com.

"They seemed to really like it. They were impressed and supported the knights. So, I thought it was worth continuing. If we find enough fighters to make enough fights, we will have a separate medieval show with its own weight categories, title fights and champions."

WATCH: THE KNIGHT FIGHTING TRAILER

"I think it is similar to MMA," he added. "The rules are similar: you can punch, strike and wrestle. The fighters have swords and shields, wear special clothing, and all that looks really impressive and exciting."